Led by a stellar performance from Shailene Woodley in Adrift, the power of love is what drives the battle for survival. The single worst thing that can happen when one attempts to set sail across any body of water is something happening to their boat. For Tami Oldham (Shailene Woodley) and her boyfriend, Richard Sharp (Sam Claflin), their worst fears came true when Hurricane Raymond hit in 1983. Labeled as a Category 4 tropical depression…
"Adrift: The Power of Love Drives Survival"Category: Movie Reviews
Upgrade is a film that, like James Cameron’s The Terminator before it, shows that humankind is perhaps a bit too dependent on technology. There may be elements of violence but Upgrade isn’t the all-out horror type of film that we’ve come to expect from writer/director Leigh Whannell. There may be some bloody elements given Grey Trace’s (Logan Marshall-Green) new abilities that come from having an upgrade on his body. This is a film that’s full of…
"Upgrade: An Homage to 1980s Sci-Fi Thrillers"
A Kid Like Jake is a film that ought to add to the conversation about gender identity among young children. The roots of A Kid Like Jake in the theater become very clear in the final act through the performances of Claire Danes and Jim Parsons. Through Silas Howard’s direction and the camera framing of cinematographer Steven Capitano Calitri, the performances come off as theatrical rather than cinematic. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing. While…
"A Kid Like Jake explores Gender Identity"
While The Tale is a film that certainly would benefit from a theatrical release, it’s best viewed at home because of all the screaming at the screen. This is, in part, due to the events that transpire on screen during the 1970s. The question at hand while viewing the film, which runs shy of two hours, is whether or not it qualifies as a Me, Too film. Writer/director Jennifer Fox, a documentary filmmaker, uses a…
"The Tale: Laura Dern Deserves All The Awards"
On Chesil Beach doesn’t quite rise up to to the level of previous adaptations of Ian McEwan’s works. Set in 1962, this is a film that can be very confusing to follow. We eventually learn that Florence Ponting (Saoirse Ronan) and Edward Mayhew (Billy Howle) just got married a few hours earlier. They are planning to consummate their marriage at a hotel along Chesil Beach in southern England on the Dorset coast. However, Florence realizes that she…
"On Chesil Beach feels Theatrical, not Cinematic"
First Reformed is a mesmerizing drama about a pastor who counsels a husband and wife. Reverend Ernst Toller (Ethan Hawke), a former Army chaplain, is a pastor at the First Reformed Church in the fictional town of Snowbridge, N.Y. The Dutch Reform church has grown some fame by having been a station on along the Underground Railround. However, as the church approaches 250 years, it doesn’t contain the magic that used to be there. While…
"First Reformed: A Mesmerizing Drama"
Book Club isn’t just a romantic comedy but a film that manages to team up four of the greatest female actors of their time in the same movie. This group of friends have been a part of the same book club since 1974 when they first got together. There’s Diane (Diane Keaton), a mother of two daughters but recently widowed when her husband died after 40 years of being together. Next up is Vivian (Jane…
"Book Club: The Avengers of Their Generation"
Solo: A Star Wars Story is a film that gives us Han Solo’s cinematic origin story while staying true to the original Star Wars trilogy. WHILE I TRIED MY BEST TO AVOID THEM, THERE ARE POTENTIAL SPOILERS…SO READ AT YOUR OWN RISK. What is known about where the film sits within the Star Wars canon is that the events take place between that of Thrawn and Tarkin. It’s also set before the events of…
"Solo: A Star Wars Story Stays True To Trilogy"
Led by Ryan Reynolds as the Merc with a Mouth, Deadpool 2 is a wildly entertaining ride that ups the stakes after 2016’s hit predecessor. David Leitch takes over the director’s chair for Tim Miller but it is as if nothing has changed. The screenplay is full of pop culture opportunities to joke about. Honestly, it may be even more meta than the earlier film. The jokes are all over the place. Jokes references include Deadpool‘s…
"Deadpool 2: A Wildly Entertaining Ride"
Fahrenheit 451 depicts a bleak future in which one can only hope will never come to fruition. It also feels as if it’s very much made for 2017. This is only the second-ever feature-length adaptation of the classic novel written by Ray Bradbury. In his novel, Bradbury presented a future where firemen start fires by burning books rather fighting fires. Moreover, nobody seems to give a regard for either facts or history. As for the…
"Fahrenheit 451: A Trump Era Adaptation"