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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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Movie Reviews

You’re Cordially Invited Review

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You’re Cordially Invited

  • Director: Nicholas Stoller
  • Writer: Nicholas Stoller
  • Starring: Will Ferrell, Reese Witherspoon, Geraldine Viswanathan, Jack McBrayer, Bobby Moynihan, Meredith Hagner, Jimmy Tatro

Grade: C-

Will Ferrell is an actor I enjoy in any project, no matter how good or bad it ends up. Whether it’s iconic comedies like Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy or critically panned films like Get Hard, Ferrell brings an energy that elevates even the worst dialogue. With the pairing of Reese Witherspoon and writer-director Nicholas Stoller, I had high expectations that You’re Cordially Invited could be another Will Ferrell staple. Sadly, the film falls victim to most recent direct-to-streaming comedies; an unimaginative screenplay and a misunderstanding of Gen-Z culture. 

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Movie Reviews

Better Man Review

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Better Man

  • Director: Michael Gracey
  • Writers: Simon Gleeson, Oliver Cole, Michael Gracey
  • Starring: Robbie Williams, Jonno Davies, Steve Pemberton, Damon Herriman, Raechelle Banno, Alison Steadman, Kate Mulvaney, Frazer Hadfield, Tom Budge, Anthony Hayes

Grade: B-

Robbie Williams was a name I had never heard before the announcement of Better Man. Despite having a good production team behind the film, I had zero interest in seeing another musical biopic, especially about someone whom I knew nothing about. Then, I heard that Robbie Williams would be portrayed by a motion-captured CGI ape, which not only caught my attention but reversed all expectations I had before. 

Is the film as weird as its premise sounds? Absolutely.

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Movie Reviews

Sonic the Hedgehog 3 Review

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Sonic the Hedgehog 3

  • Director: Jeff Fowler
  • Writers: Pat Casey & Josh Miller, and John Whittington
  • Starring: Ben Schwartz, Jim Carrey, James Marsden, Tika Sumpter, Idris Elba, Keanu Reeves, Krysten Ritter, Lee Majdoub, Natasha Rothwell

Grade: B

Having never played the SEGA games growing up, I was never gung-ho on the idea of a Sonic the Hedgehog-based film franchise. The character never caught my attention, and the live-action/cgi hybrid did even less to catch my interest. I had fun with the first two films in the franchise, but I never felt overly enthusiastic about either of them. With Sonic the Hedgehog 3, I garnered a newfound appreciation for the characters and story, and it is mostly due to Jim Carrey. 

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Movie Reviews

A Complete Unknown Review

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A Complete Unknown

  • Director: James Mangold
  • Writer: Jay Cocks, James Mangold
  • Starring: Timothée Chalamet, Elle Fanning, Edward Norton, Monica Barbaro, Boyd Holbrook, Scoot McNairy

Grade: B+

I’ve personally always been softer on musical biopics compared to most. Sure, most of these movies follow the same exact formula, telling the same rise and fall narrative, that movies like Walk Hard and Weird: The Al Yankovic Story mocked relentlessly. But some movies, like Elvis or Rocketman, add some more much-needed personality to the subgenre. But more often than not, we get movies like Bohemian Rhapsody or Bob Marley: One Love, which treat their subjects as if they are literal superheroes.

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Movie Reviews

The Order Review

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The Order

  • Director: Justin Kurzel
  • Writer: Zach Baylin
  • Starring: Jude Law, Nicholas Hoult, Tye Sheridan, Alison Oliver, Jurnee Smollett, Marc Maron, Odessa Young

Grade: C+

Nicholas Hoult has been busy in 2024. With films like Juror #2, Nosferatu, and a voice role in The Garfield Movie, Hoult has proven himself to be an incredibly versatile actor during this year alone, with more massive projects on the way. With director Justin Kurzel’s The Order, Hoult displays a layer of darkness that I have yet to see in his projects, carrying the film from a forgettable crime drama to an enthralling experience. 

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Movie Reviews

Gladiator II Review

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Gladiator II

  • Director: Ridley Scott
  • Writer: Chris Morgan, Hiram Garcia
  • Starring: Paul Mescal, Denzel Washington, Pedro Pascal, Connie Nielson, Joseph Quinn, Fred Hechinger

Grade: B

Ridley Scott is one of our more interesting filmmakers working today. Like many of his era, he’s directed many films that have been hailed as all-time classics, like Alien, Blade Runner, and of course, the original Gladiator. However, over the past two decades, Scott’s track record has gotten much shakier with misfires such as The Counselor and Robin Hood. It really wasn’t until The Martian in 2015 that Scott felt like he was fully back in form. At least for a little bit.

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Movie Reviews

Wicked Review

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Wicked

  • Director: Jon M. Chu
  • Writer: Winnie Holzman
  • Starring: Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, Michelle Yeoh, Jonathan Bailey, Marissa Bode, Bowen Yang, Jeff Goldblum

Grade: A-

The movie musical is back in a big way with the long-simmering adaptation of Wicked thanks to director Jon M. Chu and the undeniable chemistry of its leads. Since its premiere on Broadway, Hollywood has tied itself in knots trying to figure out exactly how to film its version of Gregory Maguire’s novel, and while it may not be perfect, Chu’s vision does right by the material – a more difficult feat to accomplish than expected. Yes, technically, Wicked is only half of the story (part two is currently scheduled to be released in one year), but it’s one of the breeziest, most enjoyable moviegoing experiences of the year.

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Movie Reviews

Red One Review

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Red One

  • Director: Jake Kasdan
  • Writer: Chris Morgan, Hiram Garcia
  • Starring: Dwayne Johnson, Chris Evans, Lucy Liu, JK Simmons, Kiernan Shipka, Nick Kroll

Grade: C-

Red One has built up an interesting reputation ahead of its release. Starting production in October of 2022, the film was meant to release during Christmas of 2023, but many problems started to grow. The film delayed production for a multitude of reasons, including rumors of Dwayne Johnson’s constant tardiness and set days missed. Then, the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike delayed the film’s release a whole year, with Amazon MGM choosing to stick with the holiday season release.

After all this time, is Red One able to overcome the controversies and obstacles that came their way? Not really.

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Movie Reviews

Here Review

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Here

  • Director: Robert Zemeckis
  • Writer: Eric Roth
  • Starring: Tom Hanks, Robin Wright, Paul Bettany, Dannie McCallum, Joel Oulette, Daniel Betts, Kelly Reilly

Grade: B-

Robert Zemeckis was once one of the top filmmakers in Hollywood. And for good reason. He had delivered hit film after hit film on a consistent basis, ranging from blockbusters like Back to the Future and Oscar-winners such as Forrest Gump.

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