The entire premise of Lisa Joy’s directorial debut, ‘Reminiscence’, is enough to entice any fans of mind-bending sci-fi films, but in film, execution trumps everything else. An artist can have the greatest idea in the world for a movie, TV show, or book, only for it to be a mediocre experience if the execution of that said idea wasn’t successful.
Read MoreWhile the new formula of ‘Don’t Breathe 2’ explores new avenues in Norman’s character, it never truly commits to engaging with the potential complexity of his character, bypassing the monstrous acts of his past.
Read MoreIn this current, limited, cinematic world full of sequels, franchises, and adaptations, ‘Free Guy’ enters the game as a refreshingly original idea. Guy (played by Ryan Reynolds), a non-player character in the fictional video game, Free City lives a pleasant life as a bank teller, dreams of one day breaking free of his regimented video game existence. In doing so, ‘Free Guy’ crafts what can easily be considered a perfect summer film.
Read MoreWith James Gunn at the helm, The Suicide Squad is a self-aware, gore-filled, anti-Superhero comedy that was tasked with resuscitating the franchise and providing a shot in the arm to the DCEU. Being Warner Brothers’ and DC’s second stab at Task Force X, and with viral campaigns targeting the DCEU constantly, there was a lot of pressure for this film to perform and please audiences
Read MoreDisney’s JUNGLE CRUISE is the newest vehicle for the mega-company, built around and inspired by the real-life Jungle Cruise ride in their Disneyland parks. After many shuffles of potential cast and crew, as well as several redesigns to the ride - star Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and his production company partnered with Disney to re-imagine the ride and launch a potential film franchise.
Read MoreAdapted from a 14th century poem by an unknown author, The Green Knight is a medieval coming-of-age story that doesn’t center around the usual players, and has only been put on screen a few times (clearly, not often enough).
In doing so, A24 and Director David Lowry convincingly conveys to modern audiences what medieval fantasy films should and can be.
“Old” is the latest horror film from the King-of-Twists himself, M. Night Shyamalan, which premiered this Friday exclusively in theaters worldwide. But is Shyamalan’s fourteenth film a standout of the genre in the 2021 movie season or yet another blemish on M. Night’s controversial filmography?
Read MorePig is a masterful portrait of human fragility and the potential memories we find in cooking, while its theme of loss is lyrically paced and honestly portrayed by its leading stars.
Read MoreNavot Papushado’s Gunpowder Milkshake has plenty of flash and style, but forgets that story and character should come first before trying to expand their universe for multiple sequels and spin-offs.
Read MoreNatasha Romanoff’s solo film doubles as an origin story and a peek into what happened to Natasha following the events of 2016’s CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR, but is it too late?
Read MoreWhile “The Tomorrow War” contains explosive action sequences, its undeveloped main story and characters quickly fizzle out.
Read MoreThe vicious allegorical image of the werewolf allows Josh Ruben to probe into the social and political distrust that remains in the post-Trump era, but Werewolves Within inability to tighten up the tried-and-tested horror-comedy genre with various gags that fizzle out may ultimately irritate some.
Read MoreBright-eyed and curly-haired, Luca is a regular Italian boy living in a regular Italian town who becomes entangled in a regular Italian friendship with a new companion, Alberto (Jack Dylan Grazer), however upon further scrutiny, “Luca” might not be as simple a tale.
Read MoreWhile ‘Flashback’ uses the time-loop genre to warn us of predictive data analysis, its message doesn’t fully align with its cryptic story.
Read More‘The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It’ provides the strongest story of the Warrens yet, plenty of well-executed contortionist horror, and an intriguing case study that bodes well for the franchise, yet tries so hard to be different than its predecessors that it loses focus of the story it wants to tell. Michael Chaves does what he can, but James Wan’s presence behind the camera is sorely missed.
Read MoreJohn Krasinski shuffles his cinematic deck in A Quiet Place: Part II - a slick, tension-filled thriller which expands and builds on this silent science-fiction world.
Read MoreDisney’s Cruella offers a visually dynamic and terrifically entertaining villain origin story, with Emma Stone’s best on-screen performance at its core.
Read More“Army of the Dead” from director Zack Snyder released this Friday on Netflix and in select theaters nationwide. But how does this zombie flick stand out higher amongst others of its kind and bring new life into zombie horror?
Read MoreThe latest instalment in the ‘Saw’ franchise, Spiral, wishes to revitalize the franchise through a traditional detective thriller, à la David Fincher’s Se7en. By doing this, director Darren Lynn Bousman and screenwriters Josh Stolberg and Peter Goldfinger craft the most serious (and best) Saw sequel yet, utilizing the franchise’s greatest hits to its advantage.
Read MoreGia Coppola’s latest film, Mainstream, aims at doing just that. It tells the story of Frankie (Maya Hawke), an aspiring videographer who soon finds a path to internet fame with Link (Andrew Garfield), who aims at “unplugging” social media users by seeing the world without their phones and a filter.
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