As someone who was
born after many of the events depicted occurred, Straight Outta Compton served
as a sort of history lesson tied in with the hip-hop revolution that went on
during the time. While I’ve heard the music and know who these individuals are,
specifically Ice Cube and Dr. Dre, I still had about as much knowledge about
the Compton based hip-hop group as I did about nuclear physics. But even with
that lack of information going in, I was able to enjoy these true-life
characters based on the superb acting and wonderful direction of F. Gary Gray.
Monday, August 31, 2015
No Escape - Review
Advertised as a
high paced international thriller, No Escape hardly delivers on the good
trailers it put out. In retrospect, the film isn’t even an international thriller;
it’s a zombie film. Not the traditional zombies of sorts, but still nameless,
faceless, and ruthless killers who constantly chase our film’s protagonists to
no end. No Escape is quite a simple piece
of film and while it features some good performances, just can’t get passed the
clichéd, and slightly racist, story.
Sunday, August 30, 2015
Z for Zachariah - Review
The
post-apocalyptic film is slowly becoming a film genre in it’s own right. The
flood, ironically, continues to flow, but this time in a different form. While
other films will bring huge disasters or hoards of zombies running wildly
around, Z for Zachariah instead focuses on it’s characters and how they adapt
and behave at the end of the world. The result is a delicately calibrated and deliberately un-sensational triangle
drama.
Wednesday, August 26, 2015
Cop Car - Review
Cop Car is an
independent film featured in very few theaters, but is one of the new films,
luckily for me, to be almost immediately released in digital formats. The film
is relatively simple one featuring a small cast with two children at the center
of it all. It presents itself through
every turn with a sense of wickedness and builds tension ever so slightly to
craft a taut thriller.
Tuesday, August 25, 2015
Sinister 2 - Review
American Ultra - Review
The lesser-known
secret operative spy film of the tail end of summer movie season comes in the
form of the stoner comedy, American Ultra.
While not the big budget extravaganza that other spy/secret agent films
of 2015, American Ultra is just as entertaining though does suffer from some
issues. The film is a lightweight but certainly likeable story about a slacker
who is suddenly thrown for a loop when he becomes basically Jason Bourne with
an apt to get high whenever possible.
Wednesday, August 19, 2015
Sinister (2012) - Review
As August is over
halfway over, the true blockbusters are finished, at least for the time being.
But there will be a release of yet another sequel, Sinister 2, as summer winds
down into the lighter months of fall. Before the film is released however, I felt
the need to revisit it’s predecessor, the horror film Sinister.
Friday, August 14, 2015
The Man from U.N.C.L.E. - Review
Thursday, August 13, 2015
Southpaw - Review
After way too long, I was finally able to see one of my more anticipated films of 2015, Southpaw. Despite the notion that boxing is a dying sport, Hollywood continues to produce boxing movies on a pretty regular basis. And why not? The setting is perfect for an underdog story that everyone can get on board with. Southpaw doesn’t differ much from this rise-fall-rise again template, but manages to bring just enough to make it a solid film.
Tuesday, August 11, 2015
The Gift - Review
After a summer
filled with superheroes, dinosaurs, and disrespected video game characters, it
was nice to slow things down a bit with the film known as The Gift. A more
sophisticated product from Blumhouse Productions, The Gift is a home invasion film
with a slight twist that is far from routine, creating an intense psychological
thriller.
Friday, August 7, 2015
Fantastic Four (2015) - Review
Earlier in the week I reviewed two less than average films that
attempted to bring the superhuman team, the Fantastic Four, to the big screen.
The third attempt titled Fantastic Four (or Fant4stic as it’s referred to in
all the marketing) is the latest in a series of disappointing films about
Marvel’s first family. Expectations for the movie were at an all time low, and
the film still managed to fall flat and disappoint in every imaginable way.
Thursday, August 6, 2015
Fantastic 4: Rise of the Silver Surfer (2007) - Review
The second part of
the Fantastic Four franchise, Fantastic 4: Rise of the Silver Surfer, is a
slight improvement over the first film, Fantastic Four (REVIEW), though not by much. It trades the cartoony
aspects for a slightly darker tone, but still doesn’t manage to become a good film
along the way. There are some redeeming qualities, mainly to do with the
titular character, the Silver Surfer himself.
Pixels - Review
Well I finally got
the energy and motivation to see Adam Sandler’s newest endeavor into screens
across the country with Pixels. The longtime comedian has had a lot of low
quality and flat out terrible films over the past few years. Now Pixels is by
no means good, but lowered expectations certainly make it watchable.
Tuesday, August 4, 2015
Fantastic Four (2005) - Review
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