Category: GENRE
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2:22 [2017] ★
Preposterous doesn’t even begin to describe this movie, so I’ll try to paint you a picture: Michiel Huisman plays a New York City air traffic controller who begins to notice a repetition of sounds and events in his life that happen at exactly the same time everyday. Hallucinations? Dreams? Signs? Your head will explode trying…
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Despicable Me 3 [2017] ★★
It pains me to write a negative review about a “Despicable Me” movie, but it seems that third time isn’t the charm for Gru and his Minions. I was charmed, and pleasantly surprised, when I saw the first movie back in 2010. Its enormous success has spawned 2 sequels and an enjoyable Minions spin-off back…
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The House [2017] ★★½
In a summer filled with sequels and reboots, it’s good to encounter a raunchy comedy that delivers on its promise. To make a long story short, I don’t ask much from a comedy: I want it to make me laugh, and “The House” does just that. I know what Will Ferrell and Amy Poehler are capable…
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Baywatch [2017] ★★
Nobody was expecting a masterpiece, but director Seth Gordon’s failure to give this big screen adaptation of the TV hit “Baywatch” any reason to exist will most certainly rank as one of the year’s biggest disappointments. The 90’s show starring David Hasselhoff and Pamela Anderson (who both have a cameo here) wasn’t revolutionary in any way,…
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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…
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Kidnap [2017] ★★
Halle Berry plays a mother who would stop at nothing to recover her kidnapped son in this generic action thriller that recycles ever cliché in the Hollywood handbook. That’s not to say that the movie doesn’t have its moments, especially early on. Berry is truly likable and you’ll probably end up rooting for her, every…
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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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8 Great SCI-FI Movies
Science-Fiction movies have always been around, with Georges Melies’ “Le Voyage dans la lune” being one of the earliest examples of a film set in “space”. Naturally, people were curious. And naturally, the sci-fi genre would evolve through the years, hitting its peak in the 1960’s and 1970’s, when Stanley Kubrick and Andrei Tarkovsky made…
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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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