Category: fantasy
-
Fantasy Island [2020] ★★
If you bought a ticket to Blumhouse’s “Fantasy Island”, you probably know exactly what you’re getting yourself into. As an avid fan of horror films, I can tell you straight away that this movie isn’t great, not by a long shot, but it has a few intriguing ideas, starting with the plot itself: 5 guests…
-
The Lighthouse [2019] ★★★
As someone who didn’t fully embrace Robert Eggers’ directorial debut “The Witch”, I thought his latest effort was a much superior exercise in psychological terror. “The Lighthouse”, co-written by Eggers and his brother Max and starring Willem Dafoe and Robert Pattinson as lighthouse keepers trying to maintain their sanity while living on a remote island,…
-
Maleficent: Mistress Of Evil [2019] ★★½
As someone who, swimming against the current, didn’t care much for the first “Maleficent” movie, I thought this sequel was far more enjoyable. While the first film focused on retelling a classic story, this one has some new ideas that kept me entertained at every turn. Angelina Jolie reprises her role as the title character,…
-
Black Mirror: Bandersnatch [2018] ★½
I know I’m a bit late coming to this movie, but having heard a lot of things about it ever since its release on Netflix earlier year, I finally decided to give it a shot. If you’re not familiar with it, “Bandersnatch” is supposedly the “first” interactive movie in which you get to decide the…
-
Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes Of Grindelwald [2018] ★★★
It lacks the freshness of the first movie, but “The Crimes of Grindelwald”, the second installment in the “Fantastic Beasts” series (and 10th movie if we’re including the Harry Potter films) has all the right ingredients to satisfy diehard fans. I say that with full confidence because all the fans at the worldwide premiere I…
-
The Nutcracker And The Four Realms [2018] ★★½
Familiar as though it may be, there’s something charming and irresistible about Disney’s version of “The Nutcracker”. From the beautiful production design to the eye-popping visuals, I was in constant awe. Here’s a movie that deserves to be seen on the biggest screen possible, even if the story borrows a lot from other Disney films…
-
Venom [2018] ★★
First the good news: “Venom” isn’t as bad as some early reviews led me to believe. The “Catwoman” comparison caught me off guard, but now that I’ve seen it, I can definitely vouch for “Venom”. Unlike Halle Berry, Tom Hardy makes a believable Eddie Brock, the everyday reporter who turns into Venom following a lab…
-
The House With A Clock In Its Walls [2018] ★★½
If you’ve seen Jack Black in “Goosebumps”, then you probably know what to expect from “The House With a Clock in its Walls”, a fun-filled family film with a dose of “spooky” to keep the adults just as entertained. Black is in top form once again as good old uncle Jonathan, who takes in his…
-
The Shape Of Water [2017] ★★★½
Guillermo Del Toro makes movies like no other filmmaker. If you’ve seen “The Devil’s Backbone” and “Pan’s Labyrinth”, you probably know the scale of his vision. But nothing could have prepared me for his latest masterpiece: a beautifully crafted, visually stunning love letter to cinema that ranks among his best films. Other Hollywood movies may…
-
Ranking the Spider-Man Movies
“SpiderMan: Homecoming” is coming in July, which makes this the perfect time to rank the Spider-Man movies. One of the most popular superheroes of all time, “Spider-Man” finally made his debut on the big screen in 2002. I already mentioned in a previous post that Spider-Man 2 (2004) is my favorite film so far. But…
-
Beauty And The Beast [2017] ★★½
“Beauty and the Beast” is one of my favorite Disney animated movies, so naturally, I wanted the live action version to be as enchanting. First the good news: the film is beautiful to look at and well cast. Emma Watson needs no introduction, and she effortlessly becomes Belle, the young woman who finds herself taken…
-
A Monster Calls [2016] ★★★
Who would have thought that a story about a little boy and a giant tree could be so emotional? Like a mesmerizing bedtime story, “A Monster Calls” is superior storytelling that sneaks up and quietly breaks your heart. After two winning performances in “The Theory of Everything” and “Rogue One”, Felicity Jones delivers yet again…
-
Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them [2016] ★★★½
Little did I dream when I first encountered the magical world of Hogwarts some 15 years ago (wow has it been that long?) that I would become so attached to Harry Potter and his friends, and enjoy the experience of revisiting this world every couple of years. “Now what?” was my first reaction when “Deathly Hallows…
-
Miss Peregrine’s Home For Peculiar Children [2016] ★★½
Tim Burton’s “Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children” is a showcase for spectacular visual effects, a top notch production design, and endless movie references (I could swear the opening scene was straight out of Ed Wood’s “Plan 9 from Outer Space”. And look, there’s a tribute to Ray Harryhausen’s skeleton army from “Jason and the…
-
Swiss Army Man [2016] ★★½
“Swiss Army Man” is unlike any other movie you will see this year. It is, at once, grandiose and gimmicky. While I was less taken with the film at its purposeless conclusion than I was midway through, it still offered me a unique moviegoing experience. Directed by Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, who refer to themselves…
-
Pete’s Dragon [2016] ★★½
A Disney movie in every aspect, “Pete’s Dragon” is bound to entertain young kids as they discover the magical world of little Pete and his only friend: a dragon named Elliot. They both live in the dense forest of the Pacific Northwest, away from human contact, until one day, a park ranger (Bryce Dallas Howard) finds…
-
The BFG [2016] ★★★
A lot has been said about Steven Spielberg’s version of Road Dahl’s beloved 1982 novel, ever since it was screened at this year’s Cannes festival. Now that it’s finally here, kids and adults alike can enjoy what this magical film has to offer, from first rate special effects to unforgettable characters. In telling the story…
-
Warcraft [2016] ★½
“Warcraft” is one of the most famous video games in the world. In Hollywood, this means business, and plenty of it. But if history has taught us anything it’s that movies based on video games rarely work. “Lara Croft: Tomb Raider”, “Doom”, “Resident Evil”, “Hitman”, “Max Payne”, “House of the Dead”, “Street Fighter”. Hell I could…
-
The Huntsman: Winter’s War [2016] ★½
Excuse me if I don’t sound very enthusiastic but did we really need a sequel to a movie that wasn’t really good to begin with? “Snow White and the Huntsman” was a dull take on the classic story and it had nothing new to offer. History repeats itself in “The Huntsman: Winter’s War”, once again…
-
The Last Witch Hunter [2015] ★
What to say about this lame-brained, terrible attempt to start a witch hunting franchise starring Vin Diesel? I say, screw the damn thing and run the other way. It’s all kinds of sad to see the legendary Michael Caine wasting his talent for the sake of a quick payday. It’s even funnier to see Vin Diesel play Kaulder, a witch hunter…
Let's Talk About Movies 