With “Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets” becoming the latest big-budget bomb at the box office this weekend, opening to $17 million against its $209 million budget, it got me thinking. How much is too much for a film to cost? What films should get the six digit budgets and moreover what goes… Continue reading What a Movie Should Cost: A Look at Box Office Bombs
Hollywood needs to stop trying to make Cara Delevingne happen, she’s never going to happen. “Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets” (I won’t be typing all that this whole review) is based on the French comic series and stars Dane DeHaan and Cara Delevingne as two space cops in the future who must… Continue reading ‘Valerian’ is a Beautiful Looking Mess
I love it when a film is exactly what you hoped it would be. “Girls Trip” stars Regina Hall, Queen Latifah, Tiffany Haddish and Jada Pinkett Smith as four lifelong friends who travel to a music festival in New Orleans to try and reconnect after years apart. Malcolm D. Lee directs. I have several guilty… Continue reading ‘Girls Trip’ is Raunchy and Hilarious and I Lowkey Loved it
Between this, “Churchill” last month and “Darkest Hour” in November, World War II Britain is getting a lot of cinematic visits this year… “Dunkirk” is the new film from writer/director Christopher Nolan, and follows the attempted evacuation of some 400,000 British soldiers off the French beach of the titular city in the early stages of… Continue reading ‘Dunkirk’ is an Overly-Ambitious but Still Pretty Good War Film
First Kevin Spacey in “Baby Driver” then Michael Keaton in “Spider-Man: Homecoming” and now Woody Harrelson: I keep forgetting how much I love certain actors until they show up on screen. “War for the Planet of the Apes” is the third film in the reboot/prequel series and follows the final confrontation between the Apes, led… Continue reading ‘War for the Planet of the Apes’ is Visually Strong, Narratively Weak
Much like Kevin Spacey, I always seem to forget how much I love Michael Keaton until I see Michael Keaton pop up on screen. “Spider-Man: Homecoming” is the second reboot in five years of the character, and features Tom Holland reprising his role as the titular hero from last year’s “Captain America: Civil War.” This… Continue reading ‘Spider-Man: Homecoming’ Isn’t Amazing, But It’s Pretty Darn Fun
Maybe the Minions aren’t as much a sign of the Apocalypse as I once feared… “Despicable Me 3” is the third film of Illumination’s most popular franchise, and follows ex-villain Gru (voiced by Steve Carell) who meets his long-lost twin brother (also Carell). The duo must then team up to defeat a childhood actor-turned-supervillain (Trey… Continue reading ‘Despicable Me 3’ is Everything You’d Expect, and I Enjoyed Most of It
Will Ferrell really needs to stop making R-rated comedies, they’re never good. “The House” stars Ferrell and Amy Poehler as parents who start an underground casino in order to pay for their daughter’s college tuition. Jason Mantzoukas, Ryan Simpkins and Nick Kroll also star as Andrew J. Cohen makes his directorial debut. I was looking… Continue reading Don’t Bet on ‘The House’ to Make You Laugh
Every time I see Kevin Spacey in something I’m reminded how much I love seeing Kevin Spacey in things. “Baby Driver” stars Ansel Elgort as a young getaway driver for a crime boss (Spacey) who has to do one last job before getting out of the life and running away with his girlfriend (Lily James).… Continue reading ‘Baby Driver’ is Original, Stylish and Has Kevin Spacey, So Why Didn’t I Like it?
I am thoroughly convinced that since he knows they will make money regardless of quality, Michael Bay has made these films louder, longer and more incoherent just as punishment to film critics who are forced to watch them. “Transformers: The Last Knight” is the fifth film of director Michael Bay’s “Transformers” series and follows Mark… Continue reading ‘Transformers: The Last Knight’ is Lousy, Loud, Lazy and Long
The Reel Deal 