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Movie Reviews

The Naked Gun Review

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The Naked Gun

  • Director: Akiva Schaffer
  • Writer: Dan Gregor & Doug Mand & Akiva Schaffer
  • Starring: Liam Neeson, Pamela Anderson, Paul Walter Hauser, Danny Huston, CCH Pounder

Grade: A-

So many comedies have tried to replicate what David and Jerry Zucker, and Jim Abrahams perfected with films like Airplane! and The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!, but it takes a keen comedic mind to do it right. On paper, a reboot to The Naked Gun starring Liam Neeson and Pamela Anderson sounds like one of the many legacy projects that comes and goes without any fanfare, but director Akiva Schaffer (who co-writes the screenplay with Dan Gregor and Doug Mand) has a clear affinity for what works so well with the franchise, and the result is one of the best comedies in years.

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Movie Reviews

Cloud Review

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Cloud

  • Director: Kiyoshi Kurosawa
  • Writer: Kiyoshi Kurosawa
  • Starring: Masaki Suda, Kotone Furukawa, Daiken Okudaira, Amane Okayama, Yoshiyoshi Arakawa

Grade: B+

Perhaps it’s just a coincidence that I watched Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s Cloud as the internet pivoted once again to the worst, when X (formerly Twitter) essentially became a safe-haven for Nazism, and Elmo’s account was hacked to spew anti-Semitic hate. The long-time Japanese auteur has made a career out of psychological horrors that explore our modern anxieties around technology and manipulation, and his latest film touches on how the internet warps our reality. It’s a subject that Kurosawa used almost 25 years ago, but Cloud feels like a modern update to those sentiments.

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Movie Reviews

Jurassic World: Rebirth Review

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Jurassic World: Rebirth

  • Director: Gareth Edwards
  • Writer: David Koepp
  • Starring: Scarlett Johansson, Jonathan Bailey, Mahershala Ali, Rupert Friend

Grade: C-

The Jurassic Park franchise has slowly become one of the most stale and lifeless franchises in the current blockbuster era. Entries like Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom and Jurassic World: Dominion have failed to recapture the magic of the original film with some of the worst screenplays ever written for a major blockbuster. Despite the poor critical reception, the series manages to rack up billions of dollars. Although Dominion was perceived to be the final entry, the box office would not let the franchise die. 

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Movie Reviews

F1 the Movie Review

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F1 the Movie

  • Director: Joseph Kosinski
  • Writer: Ehren Kruger
  • Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem, Kim Bodnia, Tobias Menzies, Shea Wigham, Sarah Niles

Grade: B+

Big-screen thrills come roaring back with the energizing F1 the Movie, a potent blend of racing action and character drama from the same team as Top Gun: Maverick. Much like Stephen Spielberg or Christopher Nolan, director Joseph Kosinski seems tailor-made for theatrical spectacles, and his latest almost demands to be seen in the best format possible. The film’s story may not take the podium in its originality (the same could be said for its lame, SEO-first title), but the exciting racing sequences make up for any deficiencies found elsewhere.

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Movie Reviews

The Life of Chuck Review

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The Life of Chuck

  • Director: Mike Flanagan
  • Writer: Mike Flanagan
  • Starring: Tom Hiddleston, Karen Gillan, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Mark Hamill, Jacob Tremblay

Grade: B+

Mike Flanagan is easily one of the most underrated filmmakers working today. Whether it’s his work on films like Doctor Sleep or Gerald’s Game or his TV shows The Haunting of Hill House and The Fall of the House of Usher, Flanagan has made a name for himself in the Hollywood industry. His newest film, The Life of Chuck, sees his return to the big screen with a nonlinear drama that proves his versatility as a filmmaker.

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Movie Reviews

How to Train Your Dragon Review

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How to Train Your Dragon

  • Director: Dean DeBlois
  • Writer: Dean DeBlois
  • Starring: Mason Thames, Nico Parker, Gerard Butler, Nick Frost, Julian Dennison, Gabriel Howell, Bronwyn James

Grade: B

Until this point, live action remakes of animated films have been confined to Disney, a symbol of their hubristic greed to wring every last possible dollar out of their classic catalog. How to Train Your Dragon, one of the most respected of DreamWorks Animation’s library, has an admittedly dated aesthetic by today’s standards, but this alone isn’t reason enough to make the jump to live action. But writer-director Dean DeBlois (who co-directed the original with Chris Sanders and went solo for the rest of the trilogy) stays true to the heart of the film, making the best remake of its kind so far.

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Movie Reviews

Fountain of Youth Review

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Fountain of Youth

  • Director: Guy Ritchie
  • Writer: James Vanderbilt
  • Starring: John Krasinski, Natalie Portman, Eiza González, Domhall Gleeson, Carmen Ejogo, Arian Moayed, Stanley Tucci

Grade: C-

For every action, there is an equal but opposite reaction. On the same weekend when Tom Cruise & Co. are defying death on the big screen, Guy Ritchie’s Fountain of Youth wasn’t even given the decency of a one-week theatrical run, and has been relegated to the AppleTV+ streamer. Whereas Christopher McQuarrie seeks to redefine action spectacle, Ritchie’s film never distinguishes itself as anything more than a clone of films like National Treasure or the Dan Brown/Robert Langdon series.

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Movie Reviews

Sister Midnight Review

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Sister Midnight

  • Director: Karan Kandhari
  • Writer: Karan Kandhari
  • Starring: Radhika Apte, Ashok Pathak, Chhaya Kadam, Smita Tambe, Navya Sawant

Grade: B+

As soon as Howlin’ Wolf’s “Moanin’ at Midnight” starts to play over the opening credits of Sister Midnight, it’s clear we’re in for a wild ride. It’s a strange juxtaposition, with a janglin’ blues song that would be more at home in a deep-fried Southern noir, and not a surrealist comedy about life on the fringes in Bombay, India. But somehow it works, and Karan Kandhari’s film continues to ride this tricky tightrope for its remaining 107 minutes.

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Movie Reviews

Eephus Review

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Eephus

  • Director: Carson Lund
  • Writers: Carson Lund, Michael Basta, Nate Fisher 
  • Starring: Keith William Richards, Cliff Blake, Ray Hryb, Bill Lee, Stephen Radochia, David Pridemore, Keith Poulson

Grade: B+

The special thing about Eephus is that there’s nothing particularly special about it. Carson Lund’s directorial debut never swings for the fences, instead resting on bone-dry comedic observations and characters to subvert the sports drama. It’s an indie film through and through, devoid of false sentimentality, stakes, and character development, and while its originality is appreciated, it could still use some refining.

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Movie Reviews

The Monkey Review

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The Monkey

  • Director: Osgood Perkins
  • Writer: Osgood Perkins
  • Starring: Theo James, Elijah Wood, Tatiana Maslany, Rohan Campbell, Christian Convery, Sarah Levy

Grade: B

Last year, Osgood Perkins broke into the mainstream with the box-office hit Longlegs. Not only did the film find success at the theater, but critics praised it for its atmospheric tension and gorgeous visuals. Less than a year later, Perkins teams with James Wan to adapt Stephen King’s short story “The Monkey.” Unlike his last film, The Monkey has a drastically different tone, delving deep into satire and absurdist humor, making this a riot from start to finish.

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