Tag: movies

REVIEW: ‘Spectre’ (007)

Director:
Sam Mendes
Cast:
Daniel Craig
Christoph Waltz
Lea Seydoux
Ralph Fiennes
Ben Whishaw
Naomie Harris
Rated: PG-13

James Bond (Craig) is back and in “Spectre,” the latest in the 007 franchise, and is investigating a lead from the former M played by Judi Dench who was killed in the last film.

M’s message, recorded before her death, brings Bond in contact with an evil organization headed by a sinister villain played by Christoph Waltz. At the same time, Bond has to deal with a new intelligence program which threatens the future of the 00 agency.

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Burnt review

Director:
John Wells
Cast:
Bradley Cooper
Sienna Miller
Daniel Bruhl
Riccardo Scamarcio
Sam Keely
Rated: R

Bradley Cooper is Adam Jones in “Burnt,” a chef who became famous in Paris for his talent before hitting hard times as an alcoholic and drug addict. The movie begins, though, with Jones being a sober, more humble version of himself, ready to return to the culinary world.

To do so, Jones goes to London, and through some of his connections (although they are reluctant) opens a new restaurant with the hope of attaining the coveted third Michelin Star.

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Our Brand is Crisis review

Director:
David Gordon Green
Cast:
Sandra Bullock
Billy Bob Thornton
Anthony Mackie
Joaquim de Almeida
Ann Dowd
Rated: R

“Our Brand is Crisis” is based off a documentary of the same name and tells the story of an election in Bolivia in the early 2000s. Sandra Bullock plays Jane in the film, an experienced political strategist who has been tasked with helping a specific candidate win.

The film explores the different tactics that were used in the election and shows the game that is played for voters.

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Halloween Horror Fest 2015: Uwe Boll’s disaster, ‘Alone in the Dark’

To say that Director Uwe Boll has had a rocky career would be an understatement. Boll has helmed multiple films, many of which based off video games, and they have been critically panned, often times heavily.

My most memorable experience with Boll’s work was 2005’s “Alone in the Dark” which I watched in the theater, and like his other films, this one was a mess.

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Steve Jobs review

Director:
Danny Boyle
Cast:
Michael Fassbender
Kate Winslet
Seth Rogen
Jeff Daniels
Rated: R

“Steve Jobs” takes place over the course of three large scale unveilings of new computers. As these events take place, the film centers on Jobs’ (Fassbender) relationships with the important people in his life.

The film shows the tech mogul’s relationship with his associate Steve Wozniak (Rogen), former Apple CEO John Sculley (Daniels), his daughter Lisa and assistant Joanna Hoffman (Winslet).

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Rock the Kasbah review

Director:
Barry Levinson
Cast:
Bill Murray
Bruce Willis
Leem Lubany
Kate Hudson
Rated: R

“Rock the Kasbah” tells the story of Richie Lanz (Murray), a music talent manager who has fallen on hard times. In an attempt to get back on his feet, Lanz travels to Afghanistan for a USO show with his singer Ronnie played by Zooey Deschanel.

Things take an immediate downturn in the country, though, when his act practically abandons him. To get things back on track, Lanz seeks out talent for an Afghanistan TV series titled “Afghan Star.”

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Jem and the Holograms review

Director:
Jon M. Chu
Cast:
Aubrey Peeples
Ryan Guzman
Juliette Lewis
Stefanie Scott
Rated: PG

Jerrica (Peeples) is a young girl living with her aunt, sister Kimber (Scott) and two cousins Shana (Perrineau) and Aja (Kiyoko). While Jerrica is shy, she does have great musical talent and one day, under the disguise of Jem, records herself playing an original song.

After Kimber uploads the Jem video to Youtube, Jerrica’s alter ego becomes a sensation in the music industry. But the situation gets complicated when she has to start dealing with Erica Raymond (Lewis), the head of a huge music label.

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Bridge of Spies review

Director:
Steven Spielberg
Cast:
Tom Hanks
Mark Rylance
Domenick Lombardozzi
Rated: PG-13

Tom Hanks is insurance lawyer James B. Donovan in “Bridge of Spies,” a film which takes place in the late 1950s when the Cold War started to intensify. Donovan is a family person and is for most purposes, an every-man. This changes when U.S. agents arrest a suspected Soviet spy named Rudolf Abel (Rylance) and request Donovan to defend the operative in court to show that the country provides fair justice.

While a bit reluctant, Donovan decides to take up the case which subsequently presents challenges for his day to day life. For example he gets firsthand experience with the Red Scare and begins conversing with officials from agencies such as the CIA.

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The Last Witch Hunter review

Director:
Breck Eisner
Cast:
Vin Diesel
Rose Leslie
Elijah Wood
Michael Caine
Rated: PG-13

Vin Diesel is Kaulder (though it sounds more like Colder), a witch hunter working for a branch of the Church called the Axe and Cross.

After killing the Witch Queen hundreds of years ago, Kaulder was cursed with immortality. He’s used this ability to keep the world safe, but things start to get dangerous when rumors of the Witch Queen’s return begin to come out.

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Halloween Horror Fest 2015: The mess that was the ‘Texas Chainsaw’ franchise

To those who’ve followed my work, it’s no secret that I love “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.” I find it to be one of the best horror films ever made thanks to its style, detail, setting and more. I also admire its sequel for being a legitimate attempt at a horror-comedy which focused more on humor than downright scares.

Following the original two, though, the series took a complete nose dive with two more films that may or may not have been sequels to the original. Now, with all fairness, there was a reboot in 2003, and for all its faults, I think the 03 film comes close to at least trying to recapture the original film. I don’t consider it a horror classic and still think it pales in comparison to the original, but it’s an OK horror picture.

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