All posts by Alex Brannan

A Movies, All Movie Reviews, Drama, Love It, Western

Hell or High Water (2016) Movie Review

September 4, 2016 Alex Brannan

Two brothers (Ben Foster and Chris Pine) lay waste to rural Texas, robbing banks at sun-up and hightailing it before the police (led by Jeff Bridges) can even get their morning coffee. In the midst of this blur of action that is the opening to Hell or High Water, we can notice a few things: brilliant staging, an adept grasp of setting and atmosphere, an engaging balance of tone.

With each bank robbery, we learn more about the two brothers. Their characters are fleshed out to the point where it isn’t difficult to Continue reading Hell or High Water (2016) Movie Review →

Action/Thriller, All Movie Reviews, Horror, Like It, Sci-Fi/Fantasy

Morgan (2016) Movie Review

September 2, 2016 Alex Brannan

What is the defining characteristic of humanity? What separates us from the rest? Is it compassion? Love? Pain? Fury? These are the questions many science fiction films have grappled with, from 2001 to last year’s Ex Machina. Morgan is the next in line.

Much of the tension in Morgan stems from Continue reading Morgan (2016) Movie Review →

All Movie Reviews, Horror, Like It, Long Reviews (>400 Words)

31 (2016) Movie Review

September 2, 2016 Alex Brannan

Rob Zombie begins his sixth feature film by somewhat breaking the fourth wall with a monologue of almost poetic sadism. Hired killer “Doom-Head” (Richard Brake) spits acid words in closeup, to invigorating effect. This inaugural scene, with its tight closeups and deliberate cadence, is a truly engrossing intro to a horror film.

Zombie, who takes much of his horror stylings from the likes of Tobe Hooper, delves deeper into the raw maw of this inspiration’s brutal realism with 31. The backroads Americana. The rambling van of freewheelers. The promise of chainsaws. 31 wants to be Continue reading 31 (2016) Movie Review →

Action/Thriller, All Movie Reviews, Drama, Like It, Long Reviews (>400 Words)

Game of Aces (2016) Movie Review

August 31, 2016 Alex Brannan

Game of Aces is a period piece that doesn’t suffer from that inescapable stench of the period piece. It isn’t stuffy with the air of a different time and place. Many times, a period piece drama, especially those centered around wartime, will have the distinct feel of a re-enactment: heavy-handed, taking itself too seriously, and yet still somehow superficial. Game of Aces, in spite of its clearly tight budget, gets by on its lighter tone.

The film begins anachronistic to this idea. “There is no pain,” a downed fighter pilot (Werner Daehn) whispers to himself as he Continue reading Game of Aces (2016) Movie Review →

Lists

Top Ten Best Movies of Summer 2016

August 28, 2016 Alex Brannan

As Summer 2016 draws to a close, it is time once again to look back at the best the season had to offer at the cinemas. So let us forget about the bad movies of the last few months (*cough* Nine Lives *cough*) and dive into what was worth seeing in the calendar year’s biggest box office period, ordered by release date.

Honorable Mentions:

Finding Dory

Nostalgia value is still alive and well. Thanks again, Pixar. Finding Dory is by no means an animated masterpiece. Thankfully, however, it does not retread over its predecessor. Instead, it expands on characters and gives the character of Dory an effective story. It is not my favorite animated film of the summer, but it is a film that shows that Pixar is continuing with its same pedigree, even when venturing into sequels.

Continue reading Top Ten Best Movies of Summer 2016 →

All Movie Reviews, Comedy, Drama, Love It

Don’t Think Twice (2016) Movie Review

August 26, 2016 Alex Brannan

The improv comedy world is filled with community and “yes-and.” It is about being of one mind. What happens, then, when that camaraderie is put in jeopardy by success, or a lack thereof?

Mike Birbiglia’s sophomore feature is an industry ensemble piece that explores the nuances of an entertainment medium that is often Continue reading Don’t Think Twice (2016) Movie Review →

All Movie Reviews, Documentary, Love It

Weiner (2016) Movie Review

August 25, 2016 Alex Brannan

Former New York Rep. Anthony Weiner was a fiery Democrat in the house, pushing back against Republican legislation with gusto. Of course, this is likely not what you remember him for. Instead, he is often remembered for certain lewd photographs that caused a media frenzy and his resignation. Weiner follows the former politician during his 2013 run for mayor of New York City, a bid marked by his fervent and exhausting attempt to shed the demons of his past.

The novelty of Weiner is its Continue reading Weiner (2016) Movie Review →

All Movie Reviews, Comedy, Drama, Leave it

Wiener-Dog (2016) Movie Review

August 25, 2016 Alex Brannan

Todd Solondz has made a career out of putting on display the awkwardness of normal existence and the oddities that threaten to make it less normal (or overbearingly so). But the real question is: Can he do the same thing with a dog as a protagonist? One sad, slow tracking shot over a trail of dog diarrhea later, and we have our answer.

Wiener-Dog is told in an episodic fashion as the eponymous animal travels from Continue reading Wiener-Dog (2016) Movie Review →

All Movie Reviews, Animation, Love It

Kubo and the Two Strings (2016) Movie Review

August 19, 2016 Alex Brannan

Kubo (Art Parkinson) is a child with a lot of responsibility. At night, he sits at the aide of his forgetful ailing mother. During the day, he tells stories in origami at the town square about a magnificent samurai of legend. All the while, his estranged family is lurking in the shadows waiting to take his eye.

The animation in Kubo and the Two Strings is not afraid of Continue reading Kubo and the Two Strings (2016) Movie Review →

Action/Thriller, All Movie Reviews, Comedy, Like It

War Dogs (2016) Movie Review

August 18, 2016 Alex Brannan

David Packouz (Miles Teller) is in his 20s and tired of getting pushed around: by retirement home owners who reject his fine linen get rich quick scheme and by naked massage clients that give him money in the meantime. Enter his junior high best friend Efraim Diveroli (Jonah Hill), a budding international arms dealer. Efraim plucks David from his mundane existence, and, as they work dirty arms dealing with governments, they quickly find themselves over their heads. And…movie.

War Dogs is a dark comedy from the director of The Hangover trilogy. It is, perhaps, a tale too dark for Continue reading War Dogs (2016) Movie Review →

CineFiles Movie Reviews