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(04/28/16 5:21pm)
The Huntsman: Winter’s War is a fantasy action film directed by Cedric Nicolas-Troyan, the man responsible for Snow White and the Huntsman (2012) and partially involved in Maleficent (2014). The film is something of a follow-up to his Snow White film, following the backstory and later exploits of the titular Huntsman, played by the ever-popular actor Chris Hemsworth.
(04/21/16 5:47pm)
It’s no secret that Disney’s recent trend of remaking some of its classic animated films into more mature, live-action editions has yielded, at best, mixed results. From the disastrous Maleficent to the passable, but still underwhelming Cinderella, this critic found himself wishing, more than once, that the studio would just leave “well enough” alone and let their legendary franchises stand untarnished. After all, there’s no reason to drag strong licenses through the mud just for the sake of a quick nostalgic cash-in.
(04/14/16 5:39pm)
Starring top class actors (including one of the last performances from the ever-masterful Alan Rickman), Eye in the Sky is a heartfelt, tense and thought-provoking piece that is well worth the price of admission.
(03/31/16 6:32pm)
However, to say that reception for the film’s production has been mixed would be an understatement. From seemingly odd casting decisions to character and plot oversaturation to accusations of DC trying to shamelessly copy the Marvel formula, suffice it to say, audiences, particularly longtime fans, seemed to be on the fence prior to the film’s release.
(03/24/16 4:52pm)
Of course, some of that praise ought to come as no real surprise; After all, Disney built nearly its entire reputation on releasing polished, critically-acclaimed animated work. From Snow White to Frozen to Big Hero Six, they’ve run the gamut from fairy tales to sci-fi, always with a flourish, a song or two and some kind of talking mascot.
(03/10/16 4:02pm)
That said, a vast majority of these films tend to focus themselves around the ancient Greek and Roman pantheons, and the heroes and figures hailed by those societies. It isn’t very often that filmmakers opt to step away from the safe, familiar territory of Hercules, Perseus and Achilles. Enter Gods of Egypt, directed by Alex Proyas (I, Robot), setting a tale far from Zeus’ reign in favor of that of Ra. With such a rich history and mythos at its disposal and several seasoned actors in lead roles, Gods of Egypt had all the makings of a rich, exciting adventure.
(03/03/16 3:32pm)
Horror in film has certainly had its share of ups and downs over the years, and some may argue that it has lost some of its luster. Whether because of the slasher craze in the ‘70s and ‘80s, the shift to gore in the ‘90s or the avalanche of sequels and remakes over the last decade, this reviewer has found it difficult to get truly excited about any horror film of the last few years. Despite that apprehension, a gem has crept in every now and again, dripping with all manner of scrumptious darkness and depravity. First it was It Follows, then The Babadook. Currently it’s The Witch.
(02/25/16 9:46pm)
However, as much as it utterly pains me to say this, no, Austen was not sorely missing any of those elements and the film suffers greatly for it.
(02/18/16 5:45pm)
It seems like every mid to late January, theaters hit something of a lull in interesting new releases. All of the big Oscar-worthy dramas crammed themselves in at the end of December to make sure they hit the Academy cut-off date, and all of the big-budget blowout films are holding off until summer where they can rake in the big bucks. Most interesting obscure or indie films are waiting until their customary March/April surge (along with the pre-summer primer hits) and all that remains tends to be the films that would be stomped, crushed, rolled up and thrown out of the box office had they been released at any other time.
(02/11/16 9:48pm)
If there is one thing that Tarantino is known for beyond his love of gratuitous violence, it is the diversity of his creations. The man has directed everything mafia dramas to spaghetti westerns to kung fu flick homages and infused his personal flare into each. It is almost out of character to see him retreading familiar territory, especially so soon after Django, with his recent release The Hateful Eight.
(02/04/16 5:50pm)
If only the film weren’t colder than the weather; I mean that in the best way possible.
(01/28/16 9:32pm)
Gazing upon what it had wrought, the series recoiled in disgust, attempting to purge the image of Jar Jar Binks from its mind. But it was not enough. Realizing its weakness, the series sought out a new master to guide it back to the light. Thus began the redemption of Star Wars.
(04/30/15 4:24pm)
To be perfectly frank, it’s been a rough year for movies thus far. Ranging from bad to lukewarm, cinema in general has been sitting at a solid five out of 10 throughout the late winter and springtime seasons.
(04/23/15 4:46pm)
If you’re forced to release your found-footage horror movie in the middle of April during the yearly cinema dry spell, odds are your film isn’t all that scary.
(04/16/15 3:14pm)
Looking back, I may have been a bit harsh in my review of Divergent a year ago. When that film was released, I criticized it for its overall blandness. In a world where young adult novel-to-film adaptations run amok in the industry, I felt that Divergent offered absolutely nothing new. All of its concepts and characters were so blatantly taken from other works that it was almost as if the story was created on an assembly line.
(04/09/15 3:03pm)
On Nov. 30, 2013, actor Paul Walker passed away following an automobile accident in Valencia, Santa Clarita, Calif., at the age of 40. At the time, he was partway through filming the seventh installment of the Fast and Furious films, for which he is well known. After a lengthy delay during which the cast and crew determined how best to proceed, on April 3, 2015, Furious 7 was finally released.
(04/02/15 3:02pm)
Anyone who has followed this column probably knows that I have considered the recent live-action fairytale films to be disappointing at best. Both Snow White and the Huntsman and Maleficent suffered from poor acting, poor direction and heavy-handed attempts to “update” their respective stories by adding overly contrived drama.
(03/26/15 3:07pm)
Sometimes a movie will come around that serves as a reminder that a cool-sounding concept is not enough to carry a film. Sometimes that very same movie will even be kind enough to build up great expectations and then proceed to shatter all of them like a mean kid stomping on a toddler’s sand castle. For our purposes, let’s call this film Chappie.
(03/05/15 8:39pm)
If screenwriters, directors and producers Andrew and Lana Wachowski have proven anything over the years, it’s that any film they make will either be one of two things: a visually stunning masterpiece or a convoluted mess.
(02/26/15 5:46pm)
The historical drama about an unsung hero is hardly a new trope in filmmaking or entertainment in general. Its basic style and structure dates back to ancient mythologies and probably beyond. While the story structures have remained largely unaltered, one thing cinema can take credit for is revolutionizing the “behind the scenes” story. This medium lends itself particularly well toward recreating and dramatizing the lives of those who may otherwise have been overlooked.