Tag Archives: 2016

Action/Thriller, All Movie Reviews, Like It, Quickie Reviews (<400 Words)

Money Monster (2016) Movie Review

May 12, 2016 Alex Brannan

Stock company IBIS Clear Capital loses $800 million dollars when a trading algorithm “glitches” inexplicably. Lee Gates (George Clooney) hosts a gimmicky, Mad Money-style stock show that gets hijacked by a gunman (Jack O’Connell) as a result of this stock collapse. Our hijacking criminal is trying to reveal the real criminals: the Wall Street bigwigs. How topical.

The film is littered with logical pitfalls and narrative conveniences, but we can let these slide, because Continue reading Money Monster (2016) Movie Review →

Box Office Predictions

Weekend Box Office Predictions: 5/13 – 5/15

May 12, 2016 Alex Brannan

Another May weekend, but it doesn’t quite feel like Summer yet. At least, not in terms of the Summer movie season. May 13 sees the release of two new films in wide release: Money Monster and The Darkness. It is also the second weekend of Marvel Studios newest behemoth, Captain America: Civil War, so those new movies are likely to be left in the dust.

That said, both new releases sport stars in their cast, particularly Money Monster, which stars George Clooney and Julia Roberts, and it is directed by Jodie Foster. The Darkness is led by Continue reading Weekend Box Office Predictions: 5/13 – 5/15 →

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

Hush (2016) Movie Review

May 10, 2016 Alex Brannan

Sound is a vital part of any horror film. Perhaps the most vital. What happens, then, when you insert a protagonist into a horror-thriller narrative who is deaf. This is exactly the case with Hush, which pits novelist Maddie Young (Kate Siegal), who lives conveniently in the middle of the woods with few people within screaming distance (if she could scream, that is, as she is also mute), against a masked intruder (John Gallagher Jr.).

This premise, in its early stages of execution, makes for a very Continue reading Hush (2016) Movie Review →

Action/Thriller, All Movie Reviews, Indie Films, Love It, Quickie Reviews (<400 Words)

The Ones Below (2016) Movie Review

May 10, 2016 Alex Brannan

Two couples move in to a quaint duplex and, coincidentally, both are expecting. Kate and Justin (Clemence Poesy and Stephen Campbell Moore) are unassuming and innocently critical. Theresa and Jon (Laura Birn and David Morrissey) are welcoming and intolerably tidy. Their lives initially appear like mirrors with only the slightest light refracted, but the light starts to bend more and more when they sit down for dinner together. And this light can only hope to continue bending away from center as the film progresses.

The first act, culminating in this dinner scene, is structured with precision. The editing may be standard shot-reverse shots, but the compositions are Continue reading The Ones Below (2016) Movie Review →

Action/Thriller, All Movie Reviews, Love It, Quickie Reviews (<400 Words)

Captain America: Civil War (2016) Movie Review

May 6, 2016 Alex Brannan

The premise of Captain America: Civil War is exactly what it sounds like: a legislation called the Sokovia Accords will put restrictions on the power of superheroes, and it threatens to tear the Avengers in two. Divided, faction leaders Cap (Chris Evans) and Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) face off in a heated battle for the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).

Narratively, the film juggles many balls, but few of them get dropped. Sure, they are Continue reading Captain America: Civil War (2016) Movie Review →

Movie News

May 2016 Movie Release Preview

May 2, 2016 Alex Brannan

The Summer movie season is here. Big blockbusters. Under-the-radar gems. Surprise hits. It’s all on the horizon, starting with the weekend of May 6. Let’s take a look at what movies you should be looking out for in the month of May.

May 6:

Captain America: Civil War

The next installment in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), Captain America: Civil War is the most anticipated Continue reading May 2016 Movie Release Preview →

Lists

5 Things to Know Before Seeing X-Men: Apocalypse

April 29, 2016 Alex Brannan

With the upcoming May release of X-Men: Apocalypse, the latest in the long-running superhero franchise of films, you might find yourself asking just what the f**k is going on with this cinematic universe. And you’re not the only one. Here are five things that might help you prepare for the film.

1. The X-Men Timeline is Messy, But That Makes Your Life Easier

The X-Men film franchise is huge at this point: eight films spanning 16 years. One could be forgiven for forgetting what happened way back in that first trilogy of films, and the fact of the matter is Continue reading 5 Things to Know Before Seeing X-Men: Apocalypse →

All Movie Reviews, Comedy, Like It, Quickie Reviews (<400 Words)

Keanu (2016) Movie Review

April 28, 2016 Alex Brannan

After his girlfriend breaks up with him, Rell (Jordan Peele, also co-writer) comes across cute kitten Keanu, who proves to be the saving grace from his post-breakup blues.

Rell gets unnaturally attached to Keanu, to the point that when the cat is kidnapped (dare I say cat-napped?) by gangster outfit the 17th St. Blips, he and cousin Clarence (Keegan-Michael Key) must infiltrate the gang and literally save the cat.

The lion’s share of comedy in Keanu derives from Continue reading Keanu (2016) Movie Review →

All Movie Reviews, Drama, Indie Films, Like It, Quickie Reviews (<400 Words), Romance

Wedding Doll (2016) Movie Review

April 16, 2016 Alex Brannan

Hagit (Moran Rosenblatt) works as a packager in a struggling toilet paper factory. Suffering from a cognitive disability, she lives with her mother Sara (Assi Levy), who sacrifices various aspects of her life in order to be there for her daughter.

What is immediately evident with Wedding Doll is the Continue reading Wedding Doll (2016) Movie Review →

All Movie Reviews, Drama, Indie Films, Love It

The Dark Horse (2016) Movie Review

April 8, 2016 Alex Brannan

Genesis (Cliff Curtis), a severely bipolar man, walks through the rain into a game shop after escaping from an institution. He begins playing a game of chess with himself, mumbling all of the possible moves to himself.

The savant is later released into the care of his brother, who has social troubles of his own that leaves little time to accommodate Genesis. Genesis finds an old friend who runs a chess club, and he strives to Continue reading The Dark Horse (2016) Movie Review →