If anything is going to bring back the theater experience, it’s this film. “In the Heights” is based on the stage play by Lin-Manuel Miranda, and follows a young man (Anthony Ramos) in Washington Heights, New York City as he goes about his life among his community. Corey Hawkins, Leslie Grace, Melissa Barrera, Olga Merediz,… Continue reading ‘In the Heights’ Review: A (Slightly Overlong) Film Custom-Made for Theaters
For a blockbuster film that was shot with the intent of being released into theaters, this is one of the most straight-to-streaming-looking films I’ve ever seen. “Infinite” stars Mark Wahlberg as a man diagnosed with schizophrenia, only to realize he is actually seeing memories of his past lives and must join a secret organization in… Continue reading ‘Infinite’ Review: A Baffling Waste of Time and Talent
Theaters are BACK, baby! “A Quiet Place Part II” is the sequel to the 2018 sleeper hit, again written and directed by John Krasinski. The film follows a woman and her children (Emily Blunt, Millicent Simmonds, and Noah Jupe) once more having to navigate a world where aliens are hunting them based on sound; Cillian… Continue reading ‘A Quiet Place Part II’ Review: A Rare Sequel That Matches the Original
I really think I like these live-action Disney remakes more when they add onto the original stories and aren’t just shot-for-shot remakes like “The Lion King.” “Cruella” is the origin story for the “101 Dalmatians” villain, with Emma Stone in the titular role as the criminal mastermind obsessed with fashion. Emma Thompson, Joel Fry, Paul… Continue reading ‘Cruella’ Review: Great Performances, Soundtrack, and Costumes Steal the Show
Is there a more hot-and-cold director in Hollywood than Zack Snyder? “Army of the Dead” follows a group of mercenaries (led by Dave Bautista, Omari Hardwick, and Ana de la Reguera) who are hired to retrieve $200 million from a Las Vegas casino after the city has become overrun with zombies. Zack Snyder directs a… Continue reading ‘Army of the Dead’ Review: Big on Dumb, Low on Fun
You know the saying: if at first you don’t succeed, try eight more times. “Spiral: From the Book of Saw” is the latest installment of the popular “Saw” franchise, and follows a detective (Chris Rock) and his young partner (Max Minghella) who investigate a series of police officer murders that resemble the Jigsaw killings from… Continue reading ‘Spiral’ Review: Nothing You Haven’t Seen Before
The past year has been full of a lot of upsetting things, so it’s good to see a film that looked rough turn out not only good, but respectful of a series that is important to me. “The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run” is the third feature film about the titular undersea sponge, and… Continue reading ‘The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run’ Review: A Zany, Colorful Trip That Should Amuse All Intended Parties
I’m all for Tom Holland and the Russo brothers spreading their creative wings and trying to do more than Marvel blockbuster films, but maybe they should choose better projects than this one. “Cherry” is based on the popular semi-autobiographical novel of the same name by Nico Walker. Tom Holland stars as an Army veteran who… Continue reading ‘Cherry’ Review: A Swing-and-a-Miss on Almost Every Level
“The Independents” is a semi-true story of the formation of the band The Sweet Remains, and stars the real-life members of the band Rich Price, Greg Naughton, and Brian Chartrand as fictionalized versions of themselves. Naughton also writes and directs, with Boyd Gaines, James Naughton, Keira Naughton, Kelli O’Hara, Chris Sullivan, George Wendt, and Richard… Continue reading ‘The Independents’ Review: Simple but Heartfelt
This film will be noted as one of the best of 2021, but is going to receive nominations for the 2020 awards season. Make it make sense. “Judas and the Black Messiah” tells the story of criminal-turned-FBI informant William O’Neal (LaKeith Stanfield) and his betrayal of Black Panther Party chairman Fred Hampton (Daniel Kaluuya). Jesse… Continue reading ‘Judas and the Black Messiah’ Review: Electric and Unmissable History Lesson
The Reel Deal 