Tag: movies

Monday Movie Report: Studio signing cast for ‘It’ sequel

New Line Cinema is rounding out the cast for the conclusion of the “It” story.

According to Variety, the studio announced recently that Teach Grant and Jess Weixler are attached to the project, titled “It: Chapter Two.” Variety reports that Grant will portray the former bully Henry (played by Nicholas Hamilton in the original) and Weixler will perform as the character Bill’s wife.

Weixler’s credits include work on the television series “The Son” as well as films “Chained for Life,” “Who We Are Now” and “Entanglement.” Grant, meanwhile, has had work in TV series including “The Bletchley Circle: San Francisco,” “Altered Carbon” and “Damnation.”

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REVIEW: It’s more like ‘Jurassic World’ Fallen Franchise

Coming from someone who loved “Jursasic World,” I have to say, this was a real disappointment.

This entry, bringing the series to a total of five films, begins a few years after the incident that destroyed the “Jurassic World” theme park and left the island as a jungle, home only to dinosaurs. The island’s fate comes back into focus, though, as early in the first act, the audience learns that the long dormant volcano on the island is now active, and when it erupts, it will cause the “re-extinction” of the dinosaurs.

With that in mind, a man in charge of a billion-dollar estate named Eli Mills (Rafe Spall) hires raptor handler Owen (Chris Pratt) and the manager of “Jurassic World” Claire (Bryce Dallas Howard) to lead a rescue expedition. Upon arriving, though, the protagonists uncover that the mission is more than just providing aid to a species.

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Monday Movie Report: Biopics of Sammy Davis Jr., Marvin Gaye in the works

Two biopics about legendary singers are taking shape in Hollywood. One of them will follow the life of Marvin Gaye while the other is about Sammy Davis, Jr.

According to Deadline, the latter is coming together under the leadership of Paramount Pictures and Producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura. Deadline reports that plans are in place to hire a writer and director soon to push the project into production.

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REVIEW: Go ahead and skip this game of ‘Tag’

I was already skeptical walking in the screening room for “Tag.” Unfortunately, it turned out even worse than I anticipated.

The film follows a group of men who’ve not only been friends since childhood, but also reserve the month of May as a time to play the classic game of Tag with each other. The group includes Hogan (Ed Helms), Bob (Jon Hamm), Randy (Jake Johnson), Kevin (Hannibal Buress) and Jerry (Jeremy Renner).

Since they started, Jerry has been the undisputed champion of the game, having never been tagged from day one. However, with Jerry having his wedding during the month of May, the others see an opportunity to catch Jerry off guard and finally tag him. While this is taking place, the group, (more specifically Bob as he’s the head of a major company) are being interviewed by a Wall Street Journal reporter named Rebecca (played by Annabelle Wallis).

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REVIEW: ‘Incredibles 2’ retreads some old ground, but is still a great time

“Incredibles 2” lives up to its name. It might not be as incredible as its predecessor, but it still does the trick.

So, this movie doesn’t just start directly after the first film, it begins during the end of the original. The film opens with the Parr family trying to take down the latest villain threat who goes by “the Underminer.” The Incredibles are eventually able to take down the villain’s giant drill machine, but not before it wrecks on much of the city where they live.

As a result of the destruction caused, superheroes are even more looked down upon than before and the family are forced even deeper into hiding. That is until they are approached by a sibling pair, Winston and Evelyn. The brother and sister duo run a mega corporation and decide that it’s time for supers to make a comeback. They opt to make a public campaign with Helen Parr (Holly Hunter) going back into crime fighting and putting on a good public face for supers while Bob (Craig Nelson) stays home and looks after the kids, Dash (Huck Milner), Violet (Sarah Vowell) and Jack-Jack.

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REVIEW: ‘Ocean’s 8’ powered by cast, weakened by script

Now we just need an “Ocean’s 9” and “10” to bring it full circle.

All jokes aside, “Ocean’s 8” continues the saga with a new cast of characters, but maintains its connection to the original series. This time the movie focuses on Debbie Ocean, the younger sister of Danny Ocean, who was played by George Clooney in the original trilogy.

In the film, Debbie has her sights set on pulling off a heist at the Met Gala. The target is a diamond necklace to be worn by an actress named Daphne (Anne Hathaway). To pull off the heist, Debbie recruits her partner in crime Lou (Cate Blanchett), the jeweler Amita (Mindy Kaling), a profiteer Tammy (Sarah Paulson), pickpocketer Constance (Awkwafina), a hacker who goes by Nine Ball (Rihanna), and a fashion designer Rose (Helena Bonham Carter).

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REVIEW: ‘Hotel Artemis’ has its moments, but is weighed down by the story

Normally, I love staying at hotels. However, I’m not sure I’d like staying in the “hotel” featured in this picture.

“Hotel Artemis” takes place in the not-too-distant future and is set in Los Angeles. We pick up in a riot-torn city, with residents upset over rising water prices. In the middle of all the chaos, a criminal named Waikiki (Sterling Brown) and his brother go to the Hotel Artemis after a job goes bad.

The audience soon learns that the Hotel Artemis is sort of combo, with overnight rooms as well as a medical staff, making it somewhat of a hospital. The facility is run by a character who just goes by Nurse (Jodie Foster) and the building is rather secure, with no weapons or violence allowed. However, with rioting in the streets and one of LA’s top gangsters headed to the Artemis, tensions rise.

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Monday Movie Report: DC Entertainment experiencing leadership shift

DC Entertainment is experiencing a shakeup lately, with its president and chief creative officer both leaving their roles.

According to Variety, both DC Entertainment President Diane Nelson, and Chief Creative Officer Geoff Johns are both stepping away from their current titles.

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REVIEW: ‘Hereditary’ is top notch horror

Even if you walk into “Hereditary” thinking you’re prepared for what you see, chances are, you aren’t.

The film, a first-time feature length picture from Director Ari Aster, tells the story of the Graham family, particularly the mother, Annie (Toni Collette). The movie opens on the day of the funeral for Annie’s mother. From the start, it’s not only evident that Annie had an estranged relationship with her mother, but that there are also some dysfunctions with the rest of her family as well.

As the film moves on, the family is met with a traumatic event that triggers terrifying situations.

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REVIEW ‘Adrift’ carried by Woodley, survival sequences

“Adrift,” the latest picture to have Shailene Woodley in the lead role, is a film that has enough good features to keep it afloat, but there are a few negatives keeping the picture anchored.

Based on a true event, “Adrift” details the story of Tami Oldham (Woodley), a woman who was living in Tahiti in 1983 and began a relationship with a sailor named Richard (Sam Clafin). The film showcases how they met and their attempt to sail across the Pacific Ocean as part of a job to bring a ship from Tahiti to San Diego.

Unfortunately, while sailing, the two ran into Hurricane Raymond, which began as a weaker storm but grew quickly into a Category 4.

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