#3stars

[3 stars] If you loved the first movie, you’re sure to enjoy this long-awaited sequel (whether we needed it or not). What saves this iteration is its nod to relevance in today’s corporate and social media evolution. Because, let’s face it, it is just the first movie redone again. What that means is that we get some great actors like Stanley Tucci (Citadel) and Meryl Streep (The Prom) trotting out…

[3 stars] This was John Hamburg’s (Why Him?) first feature. You’ve probably never heard of it, let alone seen it. If a friend hadn’t told me about it, I never would have found it. It’s a broad, silly comedy of errors, bordering on farce, though never quite that extreme. However, it is loaded, and I mean loaded, with young talent that went on to map out big careers. I’m not talking about actors as…

[3.5 stars] On the surface this series is yet another crack at The Wicker Man with flavoring of Midsommar. A solid enough foundation for folk horror, but it is ever so much more thanks to writer/director Toby Whithouse (Being Human). Well worn ground can be comforting, but it gets a little boring without some creative goosing. Red King manages to do something I’ve never seen before: it makes the…

[2.75 stars] OK, this isn’t Flash Gordon bad, but it ain’t great. But, that said, I have to give it a couple of props. First, covering how the ridiculous names came about was just a little inspired. And the absurdity of the situation is dealt with tongue in cheek from the top. Some of the wordplay was also very amusing, though unsustained. It’s clear this was going to be as much a nod and a wink…

You may have noticed a lack of movie write-ups over the last several weeks. It’s been because I’ve been on a bit of a tear of late catching up with some long-time foreign series and adding some new ones as well. Rather than write them all up separately, I’ve combined a number of them into a rapid fire set of impressions and thoughts. I hope to have more movies in the mix again soon. But for…

[3 stars] If you’re looking for fast zombies or lots of action, this latest from Zak Hilditch just isn’t for you. Much like his earlier These Final Hours it has some action moments, but it’s a slow-burn character tale with some interesting twists on the genre. Daisy Ridley (Chaos Walking) is at the center of it all, with her story slowly coming out over the full length of the movie. This is…

[3 stars] Here we are at the final sitting of The Bear. This tragi-comedy of domestic and gastronomic life riveted audiences and awards panels for the previous 4 seasons without fail. But this finale series is different in many ways. The focus of the story shifts and is more shared. The rhythm is almost unrelenting. The sense of hope is almost ground into the dirt. The story is a final,…

[3 stars] One thing you need to know up front is that while Milla Jovovich (In the Lost Lands) is featured in all the imagery and such for this film, she is a minor, if important role. The focus of this story is really the father/daughter byplay between Luke Evans (Pinocchio) and Billie Boullet. That doesn’t make this a bad flick. In fact writer Joshua Rollins bucks the urge to make it just a…