Movie Review: The BFG
The literary works of Roald Dahl hold a special place in my heart. I’ve read them all multiple times throughout the years – some of them becoming favorites and an easy way to escape back to my childhood as an adult. Most people levitate towards books like James & the Giant Peach and Charlie & the Chocolate Factory, but not me. Ever since Mr. Cook’s 4th Grade Class, my Dahl of c...[Read More]
Movie Review: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows
FULL DISCLOSURE: I grew up a product of the 1980s and 1990s, which means I was a big fan of the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comic books from Eastman & Laird, the original cartoon, and the first batch of live action Turtles flicks. I still have fond memories of riding my bike to the Fox Village Theater to see the original live action flick multiple times. Hell, I even had the movie no...[Read More]
Movie Review: Weiner
At one time, Anthony Weiner was one of the up and coming faces in the Democratic Party – an idealistic young voice not afraid to stand up to the Republican status quo. Not only was he gaining influence and power within his party, but he was married to Huma Abedin, one of Hillary Clinton’s top aides. Then, in the blink of an eye and a flash of his underwear, Anthony Weiner went from hero to z...[Read More]
Movie Review: Ip Man 3
To the uninitiated, Donnie Yen is a cast member in the upcoming Rogue One Star Wars spin-off, but for those in the know, he’s one of the great martial artists of Asian cinema. It’s safe to say that he’s on the Mt. Rushmore of martial arts superstars, and based on his body of work, Donnie Yen is more consistent then counterparts Jet Li and Jackie Chan. With Ip Man 3, Yen gets to s...[Read More]
Five Christmas Movies That Should Be Part of Your Holiday Tradition
To some, the Christmas season is all about family, celebration, fun, presents, and the birth of Christ. Those are all important things, to be sure, but to me it just isn’t a proper Christmas unless I get to a specific batch of Christmas movies. Call it obsessive if you will, but tradition feels a bit more polite. My “traditional” Christmas flick picks are a tad on the eclectic side, ranging ...[Read More]
San Diego Comic Con Lifts Batman v Superman above the Horizon
In the summer of 2013 a little crossover movie was announced at San Diego Comic Con. Shoved to the end of the Warner Brothers panel inside the sacred walls of Hall H, Man of Steel director Zack Snyder took the stage and flashed a logo for his next movie and a release date of summer 2015 for Batman v Superman. Fast forward to summer 2015 in that same location. Instead of talking about a full-lengt...[Read More]
Movie Review: Terminator Genisys
Full disclosure: I’m a huge Terminator and Arnold Schwarzenegger fan, and since I’m so in love with the franchise and the world that James Cameron created over thirty years ago, I’m very critical of the later movies in the series (Terminator 3: The Rise of the Machines [2003] and Terminator Salvation [2009]). In what is essentially a reboot of the Terminator universe, Terminator ...[Read More]
Movie Review: Ted 2
Mark Wahlberg and Seth MacFarlane are back as John Bennett and his childhood stuffed bear Ted in the new film Ted 2. For those not familiar with the first film, Ted comes to life after a Christmas wish a younger John makes. Fast forward to the present, and both are grown up losers (of the lovable variety), smoking weed and drinking beer through life. A few years have passed in between the first mo...[Read More]
Movie Review: Jurassic World
I was twelve years old when I first saw the original Jurassic Park in the theatres. For a kid obsessed with dinosaurs, it was a cinematic experience to remember. Based on the Michael Crichton novel and directed by Steven Spielberg, Jurassic Park was the movie event during the summer of 1993. Surely a big-budget remake helmed by a relative unknown director couldn’t capture the same magic as t...[Read More]
Movie Review: Paddington
When reviewing a movie intended for a younger audience, I try to put myself in the shoes of the film’s key demographic. With a movie like Paddington, I immediately found myself whisked away into the world of everyone’s favorite bear from deepest, darkest Peru. Watching the movie brought back my childhood memories of reading Michael Bond’s book series. I’m happy to report th...[Read More]
Interview with Hollywood Legend Marion Ross, Star of A Reason
When you think about someone like Marion Ross, I suspect your mind is immediately taken back to memories of watching Happy Days on television. What you may not know is that Ross has been in show business since the mid-1950s and is showing no signs of stopping. Her latest role, in director Dominique Schilling’s A Reason, is a departure of sorts. Ross plays Aunt Irene, an elegant, yet villaino...[Read More]
Movie Review: The Skeleton Twins
It seems that every year, one or two independent films successfully make the jump from film festivals and art house theaters to the multiplexes. This year, that movie is writer and director Craig Johnson’s The Skeleton Twins. Starring Saturday Night Live alums Bill Hader and Kristen Wiig as estranged twins that come together after a botched suicide attempt, The Skeleton Twins provides audien...[Read More]