Category: The Twenty-First Century
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Pirates Of The Caribbean: Salazar’s Revenge [2017] ★★
Quick recap: I loved “The Curse of the Black Pearl” back in 2003, enjoyed its sequel “Dead Man’s Chest”, absolutely hated “At World’s End”, and didn’t mind “On Stranger Tides” so much. One thing these sequels had in common is that they were “more of the same”, only less likable than the original. And that’s…
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The Exception [2017] ★★½
Christopher Plummer dazzles once again in “The Exception”, a well-made WWII thriller that could have been easily filmed in the 1940’s. Based on Alan Judd’s 2003 novel, the story follows German soldier Stefan Brandt (Jai Courtney), who is on a mission to investigate ex-German Monarch Kaiser Wilhelm II (Christopher Plummer), who now lives in a secluded…
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The Mummy [2017] ★★
It wouldn’t be completely unfair to call the new “Mummy” movie pointless. After all, if you want to reboot a series, at least do it right. I’m a sucker for the original Universal monster films, made famous by Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi in the early 1930’s. That’s not to say that these movies are…
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Wonder Woman [2017] ★★★
As far as origin stories go, “Wonder Woman” is pretty good. For starters, a comic book movie set during World War One offers the perfect opportunity to have an intriguing villain and cheer for the good guys as a result. Gal Gadot is once again well cast in the leading role, as she not only…
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Gifted [2017] ★★½
“Gifted” is a crowd-pleaser, a likable little film fulfilled by director Marc Webb, Chris Evans, and their talented young star, Mckenna Grace. If you want, you can think of it as the anti-blockbuster, the opposite of a big movie for the summer season. Instead, it’s an old-fashioned story about a single man (Evans) who is raising his…
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Berlin Syndrome [2017] ★★★
“Berlin Syndrome” is terrifying because it feels real. I can’t remember the last time I liked a character in a horror movie from the get-go and then found myself rooting for her to survive. So props to director Cate Shortland and her lead actress Teresa Palmer for turning the familiar into something bracingly fresh. I hadn’t…
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Alien: Covenant [2017] ★★★
I don’t pretend to understand everything that goes on in the “Alien” universe, but having enjoyed most of these films (including 2012’s underrated “Prometheus”), I couldn’t wait to see what director Ridley Scott had in store for us this time around. Indeed, I wasn’t wrong: “Covenant” is a first-rate sci-fi/horror movie in every aspect, and…
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Everything, Everything [2017] ★★½
“Everything, Everything” features two extremely likable characters that it almost doesn’t matter that it isn’t very original. God knows I’ve suffered through endless romantic movies based on Nicholas Sparks’ books, so it’s always refreshing to encounter a love story that doesn’t have Sparks’ signature written all over it. The author, this time, is Nicola Yoon,…
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King Arthur: Legend Of The Sword [2017] ★★★
On paper, it looked tricky: Guy Ritchie (“Snatch”, “Sherlock Holmes”) directing a movie about King Arthur, the born King who was robbed of his birthright and was forced to grow up in the back alleys of Londinium. So I’m happy to report that “King Arthur: Legend of the Sword” won me over. Although the story…
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Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2 [2017] ★★½
Guardians of the Galaxy fans would hate to admit it, but Vol. 2 is a mess. An enjoyable mess, but a mess nonetheless. I know it must have been hard for writer/director James Gunn to cook up a sequel to the hugely entertaining first film, but I think that he hasn’t fully succeeded this time around.…
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The Lost City Of Z [2017] ★★★
An old-fashioned tale of adventure and discovery is probably the last thing audiences will choose to see at the movies this weekend. Damn shame. “The Lost City of Z”, written and directed by James Gray (“Two Lovers”, “We Own The Night”) with a keen eye for detail, is an impressive piece of work, featuring a…
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The Circle [2017] ★½
How can a movie feature such a talented cast and still suck so bad? Emma Watson can make almost anything worth seeing. And Tom Hanks is one of my all time favorite actors. But “The Circle”, written and directed by James Ponsoldt from a novel by Dave Eggers, just lays there onscreen, untouched by human…
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Unforgettable [2017] ★★
Katherine Heigl plays the crazy ex wife. I’m not spoiling anything here since we know right from the start that her ex husband David ( Geoff Stults) is getting married to Julia (Rosario Dawson) and she isn’t very happy about it. Her plan? To make Julia’s life a living hell (obviously). Nothing special or revolutionary…
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6 Great Nicolas Cage Movies
People often ask me: why do you hate Nicolas Cage? Truth be told, I don’t. Aside from the shitty movies he’s been doing for the past decade, Cage is an Oscar winner and one the most popular stars of the 90’s. Let’s take a closer look at some of his finest moments. Yes, they do…
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The Boss Baby [2017] ★★½
Despite its paper-thin plot, there’s something charming and irresistible about “The Boss Baby”, starring Alec Baldwin as a baby spy on a secret mission. Sent from a company called “Baby Corp” as the newborn baby brother of 7 year old Tim, Boss Baby must keep his identity safe in order to stop a dangerous plot…
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The Promise [2017] ★★★
For the very first time, a big budget Hollywood production starring an all star cast tells a love story amidst the Armenian genocide. No wonder the Turks are angry. Screw them. “The Promise”, starring Oscar Isaac, Christian Bale and Charlotte Le Bon, promises an emotional ride and delivers, as we follow the story of Michael…
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Ghost In The Shell [2017] ★★
I don’t know what Ghost in the Shell purists would make of this big screen adaptation, but as someone who loves science-fiction films, I thought it was tedious. And yet, it sounds cool on the surface, with beautiful visual effects and a kick-ass soundtrack to almost validate its existence. Scarlett Johansson plays Major, a cybernetic…
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The Fate Of The Furious [2017] ★★
People who follow my blog are probably familiar with my love/hate relationship with the “Fast and the Furious” franchise. I thoroughly enjoyed “Fast Five” for instance, and I especially enjoyed the heartwarming tribute to Paul Walker in “Furious 7”. That being said, I couldn’t care less about “The Fate of the Furious” aka “Fast and Furious…
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Vengeance: A Love Story [2017] ★★
I approach every Nicolas Cage movie with the same level of enthusiasm. Will it be as bad as the previous one? Maybe worse? Having suffered through “Arsenal” just a couple of months ago, I expected the worse here. So here’s the good news: “Vengeance” is a watchable mess. It’s still trash, but the kind of trash…
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Aftermath [2017] ★★
A drama about loss and grief is the last thing I expected to see Arnold Schwarzenegger star in. And yet, it starts out well enough: a man (Schwarzenegger) is on his way to pick up his wife and daughter from the airport when he’s informed that their plane has crashed and that there are no…
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