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Movie Review: The Witch
Even before any form of narrative kicks in, The Witch wastes no time establishing a mood that’s toxic for the faint of heart. Unsettling close-ups, a banishment of undetermined nature, and a disgraced Puritan family make for the forest under the frightening stillness of a looming long shot. Matters are made worse by the wailing choruses that undercut each of the film’s opening images, drizzling dr...[Read More]
Box Office Weekend: Deadpool Rides High for Second Week
Considering its big opening last week and critical praise, there was not much room for doubt that Deadpool would score big once again. Pulling in an estimated $55 million, it finished head and shoulders over the competition, keeping Kung Fu Panda 3 in second place with an estimated $12.5 million. While still not the success of the previous films, Kung Fu Panda 3 has still pulled in $117.1 million ...[Read More]
Movie Review: Risen
No matter what, religion is always going to be interesting debate in any form of an adaption. That’s why biblical films are hard to make and why we have so few. The Passion of the Christ (2004) was a film about the last twelve hours of the life of Jesus which was marked by much controversy due its violent and graphic themes. A different kind of biblical film was The Prince of Egypt (1998), a...[Read More]
Movie Review: Rams
Ultimately, it is unsurprising the love between estranged brothers at the heart of an isolated farming community in Iceland, so, at the heart of this film, is a strong one, disguised in a vehement stalemate where neither has spoken to the other in forty years. You wonder briefly where this schism comes from, but get swept into the emotional drama of both men losing their livelihood, a loss that as...[Read More]
Greater Farmington Film Festival Releases 2016 Schedule
Farmington-Hills based nonprofit organization kickstART farmington announced the film lineup and schedule for the 2016 Greater Farmington Film Festival earlier this month and it looks like they will be offering a great selection of films this year. The Greater Farmington Film Festival takes place March 3-6, 2016 with a selection of recently released feature films and documentaries that engage the ...[Read More]
The 20 Best Detective Movies of All Time
From a pop culture perspective, private detectives stand for all that’s memorable about film noir. The indifference, the wittiness, and the moral ambiguity that define each urban knight has since become the stuff of parodied legend. We’re talking about the mediators between the crooks and the cops, the embodiment of back alley grayness that’s so tough to pin down. P.I.’s could cooperate with the l...[Read More]
Box Office Weekend: Deadpool Wins Hearts and Big Time Box Office
An R-rated superhero movie is always a bit of a gamble, for while many find their audiences in cult appeal long after the fact, few of them prove bankable at the box office, and even fewer prove hits with critics. However, Deadpool upped the bar with not only a smash opening for any movie, but critical praise as well. Its estimated $135.1 million broke past its $58 million budget and easily took t...[Read More]
Trailer Trashin’: Super Bowl 50 Movie Spots
Another Super Bowl has come and gone, dear readers. Congratulations to the Denver Broncos on their victory, and my sympathies to the Carolina Panthers. And just like every year, the Big Game brought us a fine crop of TV spots for upcoming movies. There were eleven Super Bowl 50 movie spots, and in this roundup edition of Trailer Trashin’, I’ll be giving you my quick takes of some of the big ones. ...[Read More]
Movie Review: Son of Saul
There are two types of films that allow or force the viewer to be entirely consumed by what they are watching and simply experience what is happening on screen. The first, and most obvious, type is the formulaic action film or comedy; the types of films that require very little, if any, effort to watch. The second type, however, is so immersive that you simply cannot think, despite the plethora of...[Read More]
Movie Review: Deadpool
The New Year is just now starting to feel for real. Folks are remembering to write 2016 on the check they sign and, who knows, maybe even starting to pay attention to the upcoming election season. Well, maybe. But before we get too serious about life let us savor some silliness. Deadpool is a film about a seriously messed up dude named Wade Wilson (Ryan Reynolds). He was a soldier. Then he was a m...[Read More]
Movie Review: Zoolander 2
It’s been fifteen years since Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson have played Derek Zoolander and Hansel, respectively, and time has not been kind to them. Zoolander came out in 2001 making only $45 million domestically against a $28 million budget, but strong home video sales and a devoted cult following helped put plans in motion for Zoolander 2. With development being traced back all the way to 2008, t...[Read More]
Movie Review: How to Be Single
Are you ready for a Girlfriends’ Night Out? Then grab your cute boots and a couple of tickets for How to be Single. I know, I know, another movie about single twenty-somethings trying to get by while living the dream in New York City. Possibly make some money. Probably don a chic new outfit in every scene. Definitely fall in love. Everyone gets something out of films like this, though: flirtation,...[Read More]