This year’s B-movie odyssey will come to a close with two niche horror genres.
One is a stylized Italian horror film, also known as a Giallo. The other is a shot on video, or SOV, movie, which were hyper low budget flicks often made with simpler cameras.
While both movies have quite a bit of blood shed, the two couldn’t be more different in terms of camera work.
Continue reading “Halloween Adventures in B-Movie Horror 2021, Part 3”
This marks the second time the book “Dune” has been adapted into a feature film, with the first attempt coming out in 1984.
Having never heard of either the book or the 84 movie, I walked into this experience with a fresh perspective.
The film’s main character is Paul (Timothee Chalamet), a young man who’s heir to the throne of House Atreides. The house is one of several noble families who control planets and hold most of the power in the cosmos, second only to an unseen emperor.
The film opens with House Atreides, under the leadership of Duke Leto (Oscar Isaac), preparing to take control of the planet Arrakis, which was previously ruled by the rival House Harkonnen. The planet is one giant desert with dangerous conditions and even more dangerous inhabitants.
It’s not just the Arrakis inhabitants Atreies has to worry about, though, as there are other forces working against the house, too.
Continue reading “REVIEW: Underneath the sheen of great visuals, ‘Dune’ is a dull experience”
Ridley Scott’s historical epics have been rather disappointing, with 2014’s “Exodus: Gods and Kings” and 2010’s “Robin Hood” missing the mark.
Sadly, Scott’s latest effort, “The Last Duel,” doesn’t get in the win column.
“The Last Duel” is set in France during the 1300s and follows three characters, two of them being the knight Jean de Carrouges (Matt Damon) and the squire Jacques Le Gris (Adam Driver), who served on the battlefield together. The third lead character is Marguerite de Carrouges (Jodie Comer), Jean’s wife.
As fellow warriors on the battlefield, Jean and Jacques not only have respect between each other, but a friendship as well. The friendship begins to strain, though, as Jacques begins enforcing rules set by the local Count Pierre d’Alencon (Ben Affleck), which Jean finds unfair. The situation reaches a boiling point when Marguerite accuses Jacques of rape. As a result, the two warriors are set on a path toward a deadly showdown.
Continue reading “REVIEW: Scott’s ‘Last Duel’ is a dull, callous film”
Lightning struck in 2018, with that year’s “Halloween” feature, as it was a return to form for the long-running franchise.
Unfortunately, it appears to have been just a lightning in a bottle scenario.
The movie picks up just minutes after the end of the 2018 picture. Despite the efforts of Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) and her family, the killer Michael Myers survived the trap set for him and is back on the loose.
As Myers emerges from the fire started in the first picture, reports of his actions begin spreading throughout the town. Many of those who learn of Michael’s actions had run ins with the killer when he first attacked in 1978. Intending to bring an end to Myers, they decide to take the law into their own hands, causing even more chaos in the city of Haddonfield.
Continue reading “REVIEW: ‘Halloween Kills’ crushes momentum from 2018 installment”
Daniel Craig’s run as James Bond started way back in 2006, during my senior year in high school.
After many years, drawn out by an MGM bankruptcy, directorial changes and the coronavirus pandemic, we’ve finally reached the end of the road.
“No Time to Die” takes place following the events of 2015’s “Spectre.” The evil mastermind Ernst Blofeld (Christoph Waltz) is jailed, while James Bond (Daniel Craig) and his romantic partner Madeleine Swann (Lea Seydoux) are now enjoying retirement from the spy business.
Bond’s past end up catching up with the couple, though, forcing the two to split up. In the meantime, a new threat emerges and it forces Bond to get back in action for another mission.
Continue reading “REVIEW: For a good Bond adventure, find time for ‘No Time to Die’”
This biopic starts by showing Tammy Faye’s youth, and she just happened to share the hometown of yours truly.
Before her career as a television evangelist, this film shows Tammy (Jessica Chastain) growing up in the small northern Minnesota town International Falls (Go Broncos). From an early age, Tammy loves the energy and music of the church and it leads her to attending North Central Bible College in Minneapolis.
There, she meets Jim Bakker (Andrew Garfield). The two quickly fall in love and soon get married. Rather than continue the college route, the two decide to be preachers on the road. Their talent soon get them picked up on TV and from there, build their own media empire. Unfortunately, it’s all too good to be true for the Bakkers.
Continue reading “REVIEW: By the numbers biopic about Tammy Faye salvaged by cast”
Clint Eastwood is once again sporting a cowboy hat in his latest movie, but this one doesn’t take place in the old west.
In “Cry Macho,” Eastwood portrays Mike Milo, a retired rodeo star and horse breeder who was just cut from his job. His former boss Howard Polk (Dwight Yoakam) hires him for a different job at the movie’s outset, though.
Polk’s son, Rafo (Eduardo Minett) lives in Mexico and is allegedly being abused. Mike’s job is to bring Rafo back to the United States, so the father and son can reunite. While reluctant, Mike takes the job, meets Rafo and the two go on a journey from Mexico City to the U.S. border.
Continue reading “REVIEW: Eastwood’s ‘Cry Macho’ is a misfire”
Paul Schrader is back with another pessimistic film that earns a positive score.
Oscar Isaac stars as William Tell in “The Card Counter,” a man who after serving a prison sentence, lives on the road traveling from casino to casino. Tell is able to count cards and is strong poker player, but he never tries to make more than he needs to survive. It soon becomes clear that he’s troubled by something in his past.
Tell’s life begins to change, though, when he meets Cirk (Tye Sheridan), the college-age son of a soldier he knew while serving. Around the same time, he meets a woman named La Linda, who convinces him to begin playing professionally under her management.
Continue reading “REVIEW: ‘The Card Counter’ is a terrific slow-burn in a fast setting”
A bottle film with plenty of bullets is usually good for entertaining audiences, but the quality can really vary.
“Copshop” is a situation where the film does entertain, but the quality is a bit on the lower end.
Alexis Louder stars as Valerie Young in “Copshop,” a rookie officer who works at a rural police station. One night on patrol, Young arrests a man named Teddy Murretto (Frank Grillo), who is placed in a holding cell. Not long after, other officers from the station arrest a drunk driver known as Bob Viddick (Gerard Butler).
It turns out, Teddy and Bob know each other. After working for the mob, Teddy was looking for a way out and went to the authorities. Bob, meanwhile, is a hitman. Now, the two are both at the same station and Young is forced to do some quick thinking as another gunman comes to the station, also looking for the hit on Teddy.
Continue reading “REVIEW: Movie about cons has plenty of cons, but still entertains”
For many Americans who lost loved ones on September 11, the impacts were long lasting, partially because of the ensuing financial matters.
In “Worth,” audiences are shown the government program set up to provide monetary support to those families.
In this film based on a true story, Michael Keaton stars as Ken Feinberg. A DC lawyer, Feinberg volunteers to helm a government program designed to provide funding to families who lost loved ones in the attacks, as well as survivors.
As part of the program, Feinberg and his team form an algorithm, determining how many dollars each family is set to receive. However, the algorithm is met with criticism for how it appears to value each life differently based on income.
The main criticism is driven by a widow-turned-activist, Charles (Stanley Tucci), who lost his wife in the attacks. The film follows how the two try to resolve their differences and improve the program.
Continue reading “REVIEW: Pros outweigh cons with 9/11 drama ‘Worth’”
Matthew Liedke on Film 