As film making continues to advance, franchises further with it. You can see clear distinctions in how movies are being made than the past. Ridley Scott’s Alien, however, has remained timeless; the technique and story still holds up due to how perfectly it was executed. It was almost executed too well in fact. With Ridley Scott […]
‘The Space Between Us’ Blu-ray Review: Sparks in Space
The Film Here I don’t mean by “sparks” as a description in a positive light, I actually mean novelist Nicholas Sparks. The Space between us feels like a second-rate romantic tear-jerker Nicholas Sparks novel, but not even as good as most of his novels turned into films. Here we have a classic example of a […]
‘Bon Cop Bad Cop 2’ is entertaining, but cliché-ridden
The long awaited sequel to Bon Cop Bad Cop, the 2007 Canadian buddy comedy hit that is particularly loved by the French Canadian population, is finally here after ten long years. Ten years is a lengthy period, but at least Bon Cop Bad Cop 2 is not half bad, and it does deliver to a certain extent. […]
‘King Arthur: Legend of the Sword’ can’t even be a Guilty Pleasure
I remember in 2012 when John Carter came out and flopped hard amidst critical bashing and disappointment from most of the general movie goers. However, it did manage to develop some kind of a following throughout the years just like The 13th Warrior did from 1998. John Carter was a mess and not a very […]
‘The Handmaiden’ is a Unique, Spellbindingly Complex Work of Film Noir
By: Tom Magennis In 2003, Park Chan-Wook’s Oldboy exploded into theaters, shocking western audiences with its complex narrative, eye-wateringly brutal violence, and the kind of twist that snaps your brain in half like a fresh breadstick. Oldboy went down in the history books as a defining work of East-Asian Film, it’s untouchability only solidified by […]
‘xXx: The Return of Xander Cage’ is where Mindless Action Takes Another Leap
Vin Diesel just doesn’t care about what you say, he is working to satisfy his fans and he has no problem with that. He is big on nostalgia for his past adventures as Riddick, Toretto, and Xander Cage. He likes to bring international stars to attract audiences from all-over the world and in his return […]
‘Free Fire’ is Insane for All the Right Reasons
By: Alex Perez Spanning in at a quick 90 minute runtime, director Ben Wheatley decided it would be a good idea to film a movie precariously set on a group of characters shooting guns at each other the whole time. He certainly did that with Free Fire, and when it works, it works very well. […]
‘Their Finest’ is a Light, Charming British Drama
By: Ali Habous The British are talented filmmakers and even better actors. Even if they give us a predictable drama with some clichés, they still come through and ably deliver a decent show. That is simply because they have a lot of talent in front and behind the camera. This time the director’s chair is […]
‘Five Came Back’ is a Documentary that Explores WWII from a Fascinating New Perspective
By: Tom Magennis As an aspiring filmmaker, World War Two is an odd subject for me. On the one hand, it is a horrifying, nightmarish struggle of blood and steel, where millions perished and countless atrocities were committed by both sides. (Although obviously the Axis were more to blame in that last regard than the […]
Get the ‘Raid’ Films in Your Damn Eyes
By: Tom Magennis Have you seen The Raid, and The Raid 2: Berandal? Have you? If not, why not. I speak no hyperbole when I say that the two ‘Raid’ films are probably the most perfectly realised movie series in the history of Cinema. Are there better films? Possibly, but I’d debate it. Are there […]
‘Going in Style’ is Innocuous Fun
By: Alex Perez On the surface of Going in Style, you have a comedy staring three top-notch actors. Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman, and Alan Arkin can be considered legends at this point. On the flip side though, this project really came out of nowhere. Considering I haven’t seen the original (and I doubt that many […]
Marvel’s ‘Iron Fist’ Didn’t Work and it’s Definitely Worth Discussing That.
By: Tom Magennis Marvel and Netflix’s Iron Fist is bad. Not awful, but fairly bad. To be fair to it, it’s no Suicide Squad. I sat through Suicide Squad. Seven thousand, three hundred, and eighty seconds of my life I will never get back. An interminable offence against the very concept of filmmaking, a two […]
‘Ghost in the Shell’ Where Style is the Substance
By: Ali Habous It is finally here….one of the most anticipated sci-fi films of the year. Based on one of the most famous and beloved Manga Anime of all time, Ghost in the Shell comes with some seriously high expectations from anime, sci-fi, and action film lovers. As a fan of the original 1989 anime, […]
‘CHiPs’ is an Unnecessary Remake
By: Ali Habous Earlier this year I reviewed the mean-spirited Ice Cube and Charlie Day comedy Fist Fight and I mentioned that decent comedies are a rarity these days and most of them try to squeeze as many jokes as possible, while hoping that most of them land well with the audience. However, 90% of […]
‘Kong: Skull Island’ and The Return of the King
By: Ali Habous Some monsters never die. Along with Godzilla, this building sized ape is going to outlive us all. It is a wondrous image seeing this giant creature beating on his chest, screaming, and annihilating everything in his path. After Director Peter Jackson’s (The Lord of the Ring Trilogy) take on the giant ape […]