Archive for the 'Movie Reviews' Category
October 19th, 2016 by Brian White
Jack Reacher is one of those films I had to go back and revisit to not only freshen up going into the premiere of Jack Reacher Never Go Back, but make sure I liked it too. I honestly could not remember as I hadn’t seen the first film since 2013 when I reviewed the Blu-ray here. Fret not! Despite only having three action scenes to write home about I enjoyed it quite a lot. I get so confused with the Mission Impossible films that I had to distance myself from them to get into the whole psyche of who the character of Jack Reacher really is. I’m all good now and ready to tackle the second entry in the Jack Reacher film franchise made possible only because the first flick grossed $200 million worldwide. That’s not a whole lot of money, but Paramount felt comfortable in it nonetheless so who am I to argue. Continue reading ‘Jack Reacher Will ‘Never Go Back’ To The Dating Scene (Movie Review)’
October 19th, 2016 by Aaron Neuwirth
For all the struggles we watch the main character face in Moonlight, the film presents a story that is incredibly compelling to watch. Thanks to several confident performances and a cinematic presentation that ably works to invite the viewer in, here is a film that uses a triptych storytelling device to great depict how one develops an identity. Various circumstances, locations and identifiers provide a setup. However, despite witnessing a truly personal story being told, it manages to feel incredibly rounded. It makes the setup practically beside the point, as Moonlight finds a way to say a lot with a little.
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October 18th, 2016 by Aaron Neuwirth
After making $100+ million on a $5 million budget with the first film, we now have a prequel – Ouija: Origins of Evil. While it provided me with one of my favorite review titles, the first Ouija left almost no impression, aside from being one of the worst films of 2014. “No one will remember Ouija,” is what I claimed in regards to the first film and money aside, I don’t think I’m all that far off. It actually benefited this prequel, as my lack of much recall for the first probably allowed me more of a chance to enjoy this Mike Flanagan-directed entry that digs into the mythology established by the first, but goes an entirely different direction in terms of style. As a result, here’s a horror film arriving just in time for Halloween that is a worthwhile (if a bit silly) watch.
Continue reading ‘The Origins Of ‘Ouija’ Prove To Be Worthwhile (Movie Review)’
October 14th, 2016 by Jason Coleman
With the category of found footage on their podcast docket, my WhySoBlu buddies examined a very popular facet of the horror genre this week and so shall I…welcome to Forgotten Friday Flick! Today I’m dissecting one of the few films that actually disturbed me by giving me full panic pause. It’s a controversial film that has yet to officially be released in theaters, DVD/Blu-ray or even VOD, but was seen early on by yours truly. The product of wide speculation in terms of quality (the reaction at Butt-Numb-A-Thon 9 was so negative the filmmakers bailed on the Q&A!), realism (the finished film was pitched as being authentic like Blair Witch!) and overall creepiness (the eerie music rings in my head!), it’s nevertheless a nasty nugget that lingers long – and then some. Grab a cassette, pop it in the player and get ready to view my pick…The Poughkeepsie Tapes!
Continue reading ‘Forgotten Friday Flick – “The Poughkeepsie Tapes”’
October 14th, 2016 by Jason Coleman
Though my eyes are cinematically bloodshot film fans (in a good way of course!), I’m nevertheless determined to give the WhySoBlu.com readers their movie money’s worth. So once again I’m taking on a gigantic eight new indie flicks this week alone that range from distressing docs to somber features to even a teen tale that doesn’t suck – all dissected for your reading pleasure. Check out the Encapsulated Movie Reviews of Newtown, The Thinning, Do Not Resist, Certain Women, The Hollow, Friends Effing Friends Effing Friends, The Handmaiden and Desierto all below!
Continue reading ‘Encapsulated Movie Reviews – Eight New Indie Titles’
October 14th, 2016 by Aaron Neuwirth
Right away it should be said that while The Accountant is not quite “good” it did impress me due to its existence. It was of little surprise to find that the film was once on the Hollywood Blacklist (a list of the most liked unmade scripts), as it clearly tries to accomplish a lot and somehow not seem silly. Well the film does manage to do a lot (too much), but it still ends up feeling pretty silly. Ben Affleck as an autistic accountant who can engage in deadly action allows an opening for a generic, but entertaining thriller. Regrettably, it’s the film’s need to add so much more story than necessary that keeps The Accountant from ultimately rounding out properly.
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October 12th, 2016 by Brian White
The Accountant makes for a stupid film title in my opinion. I don’t care how good the movie is, I still hate the name given. I probably couldn’t come up with anything better, but that’s why I am writing movie reviews and not films themselves. However, you can’t say it doesn’t grab your attention. Come on! I don’t know about you, but my mind strays to thoughts of how boring this flick can be. I can’t help it. I’m high maintenance and like my lifestyle I want a zinger of a movie title to accompany the features I adore. Whoa! Stop the press! This one stars Ben Affleck! The man brought Batman back to life. You can Argo F yourselves. He deserves our undivided attention. So listen up as here comes the 4-1-1 on The Accountant. Continue reading ‘Solve All Of Life’s Puzzles With ‘The Accountant’ (Movie Review)’
October 7th, 2016 by Jason Coleman
With their horror centric podcast this week, my WhySoBlu partners in crime decided to go down the haunted hallway of all things monster mash so I’m frighteningly following suit – welcome to Forgotten Friday Flick. While my creature feature selection this week is in fact a retelling of a classic 1958 creepy campfire tale (“help me!”), it’s a fright fest that is firmly given a fascinating new stamp by all involved and thus worthy of a revisit. The classic tale of a mad scientist who decides to experiment on himself with horrendous results is given a shot of nitroglycerin in the form of groundbreaking make-up effects and a signature story style from one of the best demented minds in the business. You hear that buzzing? It’s…The Fly!
Continue reading ‘Forgotten Friday Flick – “The Fly” (1986)’
October 7th, 2016 by Aaron Neuwirth
Part of me would like to think The Girl on the Train is in on the joke. Here’s a film that no doubt understands how silly its story is, but happily lets the three main female cast members channel plenty of energy to provide strong performances. It manages to feature men these women obsess over, yet all the guys featured are as bland as plain wallpaper. Regardless, The Girl on the Train seems bent on delivering a mystery/thriller out of these ingredients. Placing the preposterousness of this story aside, however, the biggest issue is how dull the film is.
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a Continue reading ‘‘The Girl On The Train’ Goes Nowhere Special (Movie Review)’
October 6th, 2016 by Jason Coleman
With the Halloween month of October scaring up things now it seems fitting to have some past and present fright flicks included in the cinematic crop below. Tall men, silver spheres and empty graves both new and old are examined, but also painful past relationships, men who haven’t gone through puberty and tough teens searching for self are also encompassed in this weeks edition of Encapsulated Movie Reviews. So check out the skinny on the films Phantasm: Remastered, Blue Jay, The Late Bloomer, The Great Gilly Hopkins, Kids In Love and Phantasm: Ravager.
Continue reading ‘Encapsulated Movie Reviews – Six New Indie Titles’
October 5th, 2016 by Aaron Neuwirth
The Birth of a Nation is a film designed to challenge various parts of me. There is a righteous part of me that sees a film recounting a historical event tying into relevant topics still affecting America today, as the nation continues to court more and more woke individuals. The other part concerns my role as one who critiques film and sees a lot of ambition being outdone, at times, by narrative and budgetary restraints. It is unfortunate that a film providing such a showcase for strong performances and evocative imagery is not more successful, but it does plenty to unpack a lot of clear anger in how history and beyond has been a struggle for many.
a Continue reading ‘Parker’s ‘Birth Of A Nation’ Strikes Back At History (Movie Review)’
October 5th, 2016 by Brian White
The Girl on the Train instantly has two things going for it. It features two actresses that will get me in the theater no matter what the film’s subject matter is about. I’m respectfully talking Emily Blunt and Rebecca Ferguson. Ever since Edge of Tomorrow, Sicario and Mission Impossible Rogue Nation I’m a sucker for both of them. Second, Entertainment Weekly talked so highly of this feature several issues ago that it warranted my attention. No. I take that back. Their praise of The Girl on the Train absolutely demanded my undivided attention. So here we are. The moment is upon us and I’m eager to blow this train’s whistle. Let’s stop this train and get on already! Continue reading ‘Buy A Ticket To Ride With ‘The Girl On The Train’ (Movie Review)’
September 30th, 2016 by Jason Coleman
This week a couple of my fellow WhySoBlu cohorts took part in a podcast highlighting horror and with Halloween time being almost upon us I’ve decided to join in on the act with a past slasher selection of my own – welcome to Forgotten Friday Flick! There are plenty of high profile slice and dice flicks out there, but today’s choice is one that some may have missed. A frightfully fun flick complete with blood, gore and a pinch of female flesh, it’s the tale of a dedicated husband and father who will do anything to obtain the perfect family – even kill for it! He’s weird, he’s wild and he’s got a big knife – he’s…The Stepfather!
Continue reading ‘Forgotten Friday Flick – “The Stepfather” (1987)’
September 29th, 2016 by Jason Coleman
Since the seven smaller film dissections were a big hit last week, no reason to not duplicate critical enjoyment for your reading pleasure – but I’m adding one more to fight the good film fight. (Being that disaster flicks are a dime a dozen and any movie that sits on the shelf too long might be past its due date!) The cinematic character spectrum gets covered below with eight films both good and bad that have everything from bitter old guys looking for a way out to killer clowns with big toothed smiles handy with a baseball bat. (Plus a little ‘foxy Knoxy’ doc action to boot!) Continue on to the Encapsulated Movie Reviews of A Man Called Ove, Denial, Amanda Knox, The Caretaker, Generation Startup, The Hurt Business, Circle of Poison and ClownTown below!
Continue reading ‘Encapsulated Movie Reviews – Eight New Indie Titles’
September 28th, 2016 by Aaron Neuwirth
On the heels of Sully, we have another tense, biographical drama based around a recent American event, only this time with more disaster-based thrills. Deepwater Horizon recounts the events that led up to the explosion and subsequent fire on an offshore drilling unit, resulting in the largest environmental disaster in U.S. history. Rather than heavily dwelling on the aftermath and politics involved though, this is a film about the workers involved and what they went through on the night of April 20, 2010. The result is a well-acted thriller that makes the most out of having a matter-of-fact handling on disaster movie tropes.
a Continue reading ‘‘Deepwater Horizon’ Delivers Fiery Intensity At Sea (Movie Review)’
September 27th, 2016 by Jason Coleman
How do you tell a comprehensive story of the saga that is O.J. Simpson? By utilizing an almost eight hour runtime and braking it down into five parts is how. Such are the daunting viewing parameters of the long, thorough and utterly comprehensive doc titled O.J.: Made In America directed by award winning documentary filmmaker Ezra Edelman for ESPN Films. Covering much more than simply the salacious bits, the doc is a time historic time capsule of events before, during and after the famed ‘Trial of the Century’ and as such doesn’t skimp on details. Given the doc to review in its entirety, braving the behemoth that is O.J.: Made In America is a major commitment, but one I fully agreed to take head on. So below is a review dissection of one of the largest films created, but designed a tad different. Since the doc is in five parts we’re giving each section its due by delving into each individually, plus with a single cinematic overview to start. Raw, real and revealing as hell, its time to delve into the eight hour doc that is O.J.: Made In America.
Continue reading ‘Eight Hour Doc ‘O.J.: Made In America’ One Massive Magnificent Movie Monster (Movie Review)’
September 26th, 2016 by Aaron Neuwirth
Perhaps it was just a matter of time until we saw director Tim Burton make a YA novel adaptation. It makes plenty of sense, as Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children allows Burton to explore an entire household filled with loners, outcasts and “freaks”, as opposed to focusing on just one. Instead of following just Edward [Scissorhands] or Ichabod, Burton works with the many characters found in Ransom Riggs’ novel, which has its share of wonder and peculiar kids. Typical of the YA novel sub-genre, it can mean the setup may be more interesting than the payoff, but it was fun to get a very Burton-y Tim Burton film again.
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Continue reading ‘Tim Burton Seems At Home With ‘Peculiar Children’ (Movie Review)’
September 26th, 2016 by Brian White
Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children is a “peculiar” name in its own right, don’t you think? So here’s the deal. There’s a guy I know in my work/personal life that has been talking about this film for over a year now. He seems to be quite the movie connoisseur, but here’s the kicker. He never goes to the theater. He always watches from home (maybe it’s safer that way). I had to almost drag him out of work to see Hell or High Water, which is basically his life story down here in Texas. And guess what? He loved it! So when I got the press invite for Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children I knew I had to invite him. After all, it was only right as he was my only co-worker who bought me a birthday present. Feast your eyes on this Cleveland sports beauty here. Continue reading ‘Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar “X-Men” Children (Movie Review)’
