In this sequel to 2003’s Finding Nemo, an infant Dory (Ellen DeGeneres) is separated from her parents (Diane Keaton and Eugene Levy) and aimlessly searches for them throughout her life until…the narrative of Finding Nemo begins.
A year after the events of that film, Continue reading Finding Dory (2016) Movie Review
Cell is a movie based on a novel by Stephen King. In this adaptation, Clay Riddell (John Cusack), is an artist who, while in an apartment, becomes witness to an apocalyptic event in which a cell phone signal causes users to become feral (in inconsistent ways). They foam at the mouth, attack people, attack themselves, and become utterly unaware of their own humanity.
The opening shots of this film set the tone for its overall success. Continue reading Cell (2016) Movie Review
Note: Spoilers for Sunspring are in this in-depth review. The video is embedded below if you want to watch before you read.
In Sunspring, director Oscar Sharp engages in a cinematic experiment. The goal: to create an award-worthy short film using a script written by an artificial intelligence. The result: glorious sci-fi chaos. Feeding the A.I. with dozens of science fiction script .txt files and a series of prompts given for a sci-fi filmmaking competition, the small cast and crew used the resulting script to shoot the short in one day.
“In a future with mass unemployment, young people are forced to sell blood,” Thomas Middleditch’s H begins, upon pulling a book out of a drawer and thumbing through it. “It’s something I could do.”
This is perhaps the most Continue reading An In-Depth Analysis of Sunspring (2016), The Short Film Written By A Computer
Thaddeus Bradley (Morgan Freeman), framed by the magician-Robin Hoods The Horsemen and now behind bars, is looking for revenge. Meanwhile, The Horsemen are given orders by the mysterious magician activism syndicate The Eye to engage in their next caper.
This initialization of the plan is sequenced with wonderful pacing and wit. The plan itself is logical nonsense, but it sure is Continue reading Now You See Me 2 (2016) Movie Review
This weekend sees three new wide release films to counter last week’s three wide release films that had varying degrees of success. Warcraft, The Conjuring 2, and Now You See Me 2 all look to duke it out for top five spots against the onslaught of Summer films that hang on from week to week.
I just got out of a nearly sold out screening of The Conjuring 2 on a Thursday in a huge theater. Based on that, Continue reading Weekend Box Office Predictions: 6/10 – 6/12
During Ed and Lorraine Warren’s (Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga) investigation of the Amityville horror, Lorraine Warren encounters hell incarnate during a seance in an opening sequence to The Conjuring 2 that is orchestrated with neo-horror precision, combining old school tropes and new era scare tactics.
After amassing a popular following through the Amityville case, the Warrens are requested in Enfield, where they encounter Continue reading The Conjuring 2 (2016) Movie Review
There has been a war between Orcs and Humans as long as anyone can remember. Thus is the world of Warcraft (pun. apologies.). We follow an Orc warrior in tow with his warring clan as well as his wife and child to be. We also follow a band of humans who are combating the oncoming onslaught of Orcs using the magical guidance of the Guardian (Ben Foster). There is also a Halfling (Paula Patton) (which is to say, half Orc, half human) who is caught in the middle of these warring races.
The film throws you into a narrative already in motion, in medias res as is the fantasy genre standard. The problem with this in this particular instance is Continue reading Warcraft (2016) Movie Review
Box Office Most Wanted is a series dedicated to discussing some of the lowest grossing films of all time. The list of films can be found, and are ranked according to, the Box Office Mojo list of the “Worst Openings – Very Wide,” which is to say the lowest grossing opening weekends from films released in 2,000+ theaters domestically (U.S. and Canada).
The writer apologized for it. The creator of the property from which it was based refuses to even use the property’s name to describe it. Dragonball Evolution was a major creative failure. Let’s talk about it! Continue reading Box Office Most Wanted Ep. 2: #126 – Dragonball Evolution
In The Lobster, David (Colin Farrell), upon being abandoned by his wife for another man, attends a hotel in which he must fall in love in 45 days or else be turned into an animal of his choosing. The movie is as surreal as the premise sounds, but it is also something beyond the mere surreal, which is an alleyway that can quickly lead to becoming a gimmick.
Director Yorgos Lanthimos’ usual brand of awkward yet matter-of-fact line readings dominate The Lobster. Characters present so much on their face while still concealing Continue reading The Lobster (2016) Movie Review
The first weekend of June sees the release of three new wide releases, all in very differing genres. The comedy mockumentary headed by Andy Samberg, Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping is receiving favorable reviews. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows, on the other hand, has far more tepid reviews. And the drama adaptation Me Before You is somewhere in-between.
TMNT looks to be Continue reading Weekend Box Office Predictions: 6/3 – 6/5
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