Movie Reviews

    Murder on the Orient Express is a Hollywood gloss-fest that is all show and no go.  A who’s who of Hollywood A-listers have come together for a murder mystery that looks pretty, but lacks any real depth and suspense. While aboard a lavish train, one of the passengers is murdered and it is up to Detective Hercule Poirot (Kenneth Branagh), the greatest detective in the world, to solve the crime. This biggest issue…

No director understands the human condition better than Richard Linklater.  He understands what makes us who we are.  He knows that it isn’t always these dramatic, life changing events, but smaller moments that really make us who we are.  Whether it’s a chance encounter with a stranger on a train, a high school night out with friends, or the first weekend of college, Linklater knows how to portray these moments. Last Flag Flying is another…

    There was a time, around three years ago, where I was worried about the Marvel Cinematic Universe.  I was worried that they were falling into a cookie-cutter format of sequels, where every single film is bigger, yet emptier.  During what Marvel calls their Phase 2, films like Iron Man 3 (2013), Thor: The Dark World (2014), and the mildly overrated Captain America: The Winter Solider (2014) hit a creative low and didn’t look like they were going to…

      The Florida Project is one of those movies that plants a seed in you and keeps growing long after you see it.  I saw this movie a few weeks ago and I am still thinking about it.  Whether it is the themes of the movie, moments in the movie, or even just a single shot or line of dialog, The Florida Project is something that I think about on a daily basis.  Director…

      The Foreigner has been marketed as Jackie Chan’s Taken (2008), where an older, accomplished actor is cast in an action-focused film with a lot of hand-to-hand combat.  They’ve tried to replicate this kind of film with a number of actors like Kevin Costner (Three Days to Kill), John Travolta (From Paris with Love), Sean Penn (The Gunman), and Pierce Brosnan (November Man).  It also seems that this is the only kind of movie Liam Neeson…

      Blade Runner 2049 is a rare cinematic occurrence in that it is a long delayed sequel (30+ years) that exceeds the original by miles.  Everything about Blade Runner 2049 is better than the 1982 original Ridley Scott film.  This is a true sci-fi noir that features great performances, bold filmmaking, a twisty, captivating story, and some of the best visuals I have seen on screen in 2017. It is really hard to explain…

      American Made is a wild and crazy story that is almost too crazy to be true.  It tells the story of Barry Seal (Tom Cruise), a T.W.A pilot who is recruited by the C.I.A. to fly over South America and bring them intel.  While on his missions, he is approached by a drug cartel and asked to assist them in bringing in cocaine to America.  Barry’s life begins to spiral out of…

      Here’s how you know you have a great sports movie on your hands: When the movie is based on a true event yet during the climactic game or match, there a people in the theater clapping, almost as if they’ve never heard of this event ever in their life.  This is the case for Battle of the Sexes, a soaring, crowd-pleasing true story that is far more than just a run-of-the-mill sports flick….

      According to the Kingsman, “Manners maketh man.”  According to Hollywood, “Sequels maketh money”, which is why we have Kingsman: The Golden Circle, a mildly entertaining, yet overlong and unnecessary sequel to the 2014 hit. When their headquarters are destroyed and the world is held hostage, Eggsy (Taron Edgerton) and Merlin (Mark Strong) journey to the U.S. to get assistance from an allied spy organization known as the Statesman in order to stop the…

      I saw Darren Aronofsky’s mother! a week ago.  Usually, I am pretty good about reviewing movies right after I see them or within a couple days, but mother! was different.  This was a movie that had me thinking before, during, and after, and I am still thinking about it a week later.  I don’t exactly know what to think about this movie.  I will say that my opinion has shifted slightly, which why the…