Movie Reviews

I’ll be honest, I was getting a little bored with Marvel.  I thought the studio hit its peak with The Avengers and all the movies following it were good, but very cookie-cutter and safe.  Sure Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) was great, but that’s because it was different than anything Marvel had previously done.  Now, with Captain America: Civil War, Marvel has created its most epic and ambitious film ever and also one of the studio’s finest. After a…

Keanu stars Keegan Michael Key and Jordan Peele, the two masterminds behind the brilliant sketch comedy show Key & Peele.  The film plays out like an hour and a half long skit that they would have on their show, which has its positives and negatives. When an adorable kitten lands on the footstep of the recently broken hearted Rell (Jordan Peele), he finds a new outlook on life and his heart is immediately mended.  One night, when…

I think I saw Snow White and the Huntsman (2012).  I think.  I can’t be 100% certain.  Obviously it didn’t make that big of an impression on me if I can’t remember seeing it, but it made a ton of money, so obviously it was going to get a second film, though I doubt it needed one.  The Huntsman: Winter’s War is a sprequel, part prequel, part sequel, and a middle of the road film that…

I really liked the first Barbershop (2002).  It’s a very sweet, funny movie with good messages about family and friendship.  Did it deserve a sequel?  Probably not.  Did it deserve to be a trilogy?  Definitely not.  But here we are with Barbershop: The Next Cut, the third film in the Barbershop series and, even though it didn’t deserve a trilogy, it is arguably the best film of the three. With the rise in gang violence surrounding the neighborhood, Calvin…

Hardcore Henry follows Henry, a man who was in some horrific accident and put back together using robotics and turned into a killing machine.  He sets out to get his wife (Haley Bennett) back from a Magneto-like villain Akan (Danila Kozlovsky) before he creates super solders similar to Henry to take over the world. The entire movie is shot in the first person from the perspective of Henry, something that has never been done in the action…

Jon Favreau’s live-action version of The Jungle Book had my jaw on the floor for the entire 105 minute run time.  This movie is spectacular in every way.  The visuals are astoundingly beautiful with great use of 3-D, the action is exciting, and the story is better and darker than the original animated film, yet still keeps the films spirit perfectly. Mowgli (newcomer Neel Sethi), a man-cub living amongst the wolves, tries to flee the jungle after a threat…

I’ve been attending the Sundance Film Festival since 2011.  Every year before the festival begins, I make a list of my most anticipated movies of the festival.  This list is based on a combination of the who the director is, who the actors are, and the film’s synopsis, because none of the films have trailers.  I usually end up seeing my top five choices because I make the time for those, but there are always…

The Boss is a combination of the best and worst of Melissa McCarthy.  On the one hand, it’s more over the top annoyance from McCarthy that we’ve seen in films like Identity Thief (2013) and Tammy (2014).  On the other hand, we get some great comedic moments and McCarthy once again owning her character like she has in Bridesmaids (2011), The Heat (2013), and Spy (2015).  Fortunately, The Boss is more of the later than the former, which makes for a mildly entertaining, yet sometimes ridiculous…

Sometimes you see a movie that just hits you.  Whether it’s because you can relate to the story, relate to a character, or just connect with a performance, there are certain movies that just resonate with you.  For some reason, Demolition was one of those movies for me.  I was watching this movie and as the it was going I kept thinking, “I totally get that.” I don’t know why either.  I can’t relate to the plot,…

I’ll admit, I have a slight soft spot for Jeff Nichols.  My first year at the Sundance Film Festival back in 2011, his film, Take Shelter, was the first film that I saw at the festival that blew me away and set the standard for what a good Sundance movie was and still is for me.  From that point on, I’ve loved him as a filmmaker.  He has elevated his talents and grown as a writer…