Tag: Review

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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REVIEW: Learning everything about ‘Solo’ didn’t make for compelling cinema

Audiences get to see the backstory of the legendary space cowboy in “Solo,” but that wasn’t necessarily a good thing with this feature.

As the title implies, “Solo” is about the outlaw, this time played by Alden Ehrenreich. The film details how Han went from an orphan on a dilapidated planet to a pilot academy dropout and then to a man surviving in the criminal underworld.

The latter comes about when Han begins working with a man named Beckett (Woody Harrelson), who needs a crew for a heist mission. Through a series of events, the crew becomes rounded out with Chewbacca (Joonas Suotamo), his childhood friend Qi’ra (Emilia Clarke) and Lando Calrissian (Donald Glover).

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REVIEW: ‘Book Club’ powered by talented cast

Academy Award winners Diane Keaton, Jane Fonda and Mary Steenburgen, along with Golden Globe winner Candice Bergen unite in this feature about four women who read “50 Shades of Grey” at their Book Club.

That’s the premise of the aptly named “Book Club,” with four professional, older women named Diane (Keaton), Vivian (Fonda), Carol (Steenburgen) and Sharon (Bergen) all taking a break from their usual novels to see what all the fuss is about with the best seller. As one might guess, comedic hijinks ensue as Diane, Vivian and Sharon are inspired by the book to get back into the dating game while Carol attempts to reconnect with her husband Bruce (Craig T. Nelson).

As the film develops, Diane starts a relationship with a pilot named Mitchell (Andy Garcia), Sharon begins using a dating app and Vivian has the first meaningful relationship she’s had in years with Arthur (Don Johnson).

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REVIEW: ‘Show Dogs’ is a passionless canine caper

I don’t know if anyone was asking for a version of “Miss Congeniality” with dogs, but it was made anyway.

“Show Dogs” tells the story of Max, a Rottweiler voiced by Chris “Ludacris” Bridges who works as a police dog in New York City. The film picks up with him working on a case of panda theft. I know, stick with me. So, because of the case, Max has to team up with an FBI agent named Frank (Will Arnett) to go undercover at a dog show.

So, the dog and dude duo set out to Las Vegas for a prestigious dog show where they suspect the panda thieves will be. While there, Max meets some new friends and discovers that dog shows are more meaningful than he first thought.

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REVIEW: ‘Life of the Party’

Melissa McCarthy is a talented individual but there’s no doubt her track record with movies hasn’t been perfect. As a result, there is only cautious optimism when I walk into one of her features, such as “Life of the Party.” Fortunately, this one was actually a pleasant surprise.

McCarthy’s latest starring role is playing Deanna, a housewife who didn’t finish her college degree and is suddenly met with divorce papers from her husband. As she weighs her options, Deanna sees this life-changing event as an opportunity to go back to college and complete her archaeology degree.

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REVIEW: ‘Isle Of Dogs’ Is A Witty, Funny Stop-Motion Animation Venture

Nearly a decade after producing the stop-motion feature “Fantastic Mr. Fox,” Director Wes Anderson is back with another film using the same animation style, this time with “Isle of Dogs.” Like his previous animated feature as well as his other live action films, Anderson adds his own flair in both the visuals and writing.

“Isle of Dogs” takes place in a completely fantastical world. The movie is set in the city of Megasaki, located in Japan. The city seems to be a thriving metropolis except for one problem, the canines living there are infected with “dog flu” and have become a nuisance for their owners.

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REVIEW: Third ‘Avengers’ Is A Stunningly Well Made Feature

In 2012, the folks behind Marvel managed to put together numerous superheroes in one film and made it all work in “The Avengers.” This time around, in “Infinity War,” they use a lot of that same formula on a much bigger scale and even though there’s so much more going on, it still fires on all cylinders.

The latest “Avengers” takes place directly after the events of last year’s movie “Thor: Ragnarok.” In fact, the opening of “Infinity War” was even teased in “Ragnarok.” We soon find out that Thor (Chris Hemsworth), along with his brother Loki (Tom Hiddleston) are under siege by the powerful character Thanos (Josh Brolin).

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REVIEW: The Only Losers With ‘Truth Or Dare’ Are The Viewers

Was this whole movie a joke? Honestly, at points I thought it came across more like a comedy than a horror film.

As the title suggests, “Truth or Dare” revolves around the well known kids game. The film follows a group of college students, with a focus on one named Olivia (Lucy Hale). While on spring break in Mexico, they wind up getting cursed into playing a dangerous, haunted game of Truth or Dare.

They soon find out that if they respond with “Truth,” they have to reveal awful secrets, and if “Dare,” they have to do something immensely risky. If they refuse to do either, they will die.

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REVIEW: ‘A Quiet Place’ Is An Intense, Technically Sound Thriller

“A Quiet Place” wasn’t completely located in just one single place, so maybe a “Quiet Area” would make more sense? “A Quiet Region” maybe? Whatever the title, though, this is a solid flick.

As the title implies, the film is all about remaining in silence. The movie follows a family that includes Lee (John Krasinski), his wife Evelyn (Emily Blunt) and their two children Regan (Millicent Simmonds) and Marcus (Noah Jupe). The family remains quiet throughout the film, as there are dangerous creatures all around that hunt any living being that they hear.

The picture takes place seemingly in the midst of a war between humanity and these creatures. However, the movie remains focused on this family just trying to survive against these sound hunters in a rural part of the U.S. Their situation is made difficult when it comes to staying quiet, though, as Evelyn is pregnant.

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