Movie Reviews

This review was first published at Vents Magazine.  Link here.                   Thinking of Vin Diesel’s career as a movie star is interesting.  When we think of Vin Diesel, the first thing that pops into most people’s minds is the Fast and Furious franchise, where Diesel plays the leader of a group of car-racing thieves Dominic Toretto.  But beyond the Fast and Furious, what else is Vin Diesel?  He’s had other franchises, the Riddick franchise…

        The Hunt is a movie surrounded by controversy.  Originally supposed to be released in October of 2019, the film was delayed because of its subject matter and tragic events that occurred in America around the same time.  It was an unprecedented by move by Universal Studios and Blumhouse Productions to pull the film from its intended release date, as it felt like the studios gave in to social peer pressure.  This…

      It’s no secret that Ben Affleck’s personal life has been a bumpy one as of late.  Since his divorce from Jennifer Garner, Affleck went down a dark path that eventually led him to rehab for drinking.  This affected him in all areas of his life including on screen. But Affleck is looking to change that and get back to being the movie-star we know him to be and he’s starting his own…

        Pixar has been making movies for twenty-five-years now.  Since debuting Toy Story back in 1995, the animation studio has been a true cinematic game-changer.  Whether it be through storytelling, animation, or their unique characters, Pixar has pushed the boundaries of cinema to new heights. But what comes with being around for so long, and being so good for so long, is a predictability of what is to come.  This isn’t necessarily a bad…

        I haven’t necessarily done my research on this, but if I were to guess what film genre has the most remakes, it’s probably horror.  It feels like every year we get a horror remake, whether it be a classic from the 30’s or 40’s or something newer from the 80’s or 90’s.  Just over the last couple years we have seen remakes of It, Child’s Play, and Black Christmas, among others.  It is a…

          Dwayne Wade is one of the greatest basketball players to ever play the game.  Being a major basketball fan, I have followed Wade’s career since he was in college, starting during his legendary run of taking Marquette University on a Cinderella-run to the Final Four in 2003.  But even following Wade’s legendary career and for him being one of the best players to ever step on the hardwood, Wade’s personal…

      Sonic the Hedgehog was originally supposed to be released in November of 2019.  However, when the teaser trailer for the film dropped the internet went bananas over the look of Sonic (the human teeth are still unnerving).  Paramount Studios then did the unthinkable and listened to the internet and delayed the movie so they could get the look of Sonic right, or as right as the internet wanted it to be.  This…

          Never Rarely Sometimes Always is a movie that will stick with you long after you see it.  Eliza Hittman’s latest film is a quietly powerful film that beautifully captures friendship, desperation, and determination with painstaking authenticity that you won’t shake. Seventeen-year-old Autumn (Sidney Flanigan) is living a relatively boring life in rural Pennsylvania working as a cashier at the local grocery store with her cousin Skylar (Talia Ryder).  When Autumn finds…

          Worth was one of my most anticipated movies of the 2020 Sundance Film Festival.  Director Sara Colangelo returned to the festival following 2018’s The Kindergarten Teacher to tell the true story of Ken Feinberg (played by Michael Keaton), an attorney who battles against cynicism, bureaucracy and politics to help the victims of 9/11.  This is a powerful, emotional, masterfully acted film and surely to be one of the best movies out…

          Scare Me is one of the most inventive Midnight movies I have seen during my years at Sundance.  A wildly original and incredibly entertaining film filled with meta humor, thrills, and three terrific performances. Fred (Josh Ruben) is a struggling writer who is hiding out in a cabin in the middle of the woods to find inspiration.  Fanny (Aya Cash) is a cocky, successful horror writer.  The two spend the night…