Tag: Review

Movie Review: Dirty Grandpa

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IMDB, Dirty Grandpa“Dirty Grandpa” on IMDB

Comedy, 102 Minutes, 2016

A young man is on a path that he wouldn’t have chosen for himself. His passion for photography was abandoned to become a lawyer and follow in his father’s footsteps. His fiancée is controlling and demanding. He’s lost his way. If only there was a crazy old man who could slap him out of his complacency!

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Movie Review: 10 Cloverfield Lane

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IMDB, 10 Cloverfield Lane“10 Cloverfield Lane” on IMDB

Drama/Thriller, 104 Minutes, 2016

This is said to be a sequel, of sorts, to 2008’s big budget found-footage, love-it-or-hate-it epic Cloverfield [IMDB]. If so, the connection is, to be generous, tenuous. The films are vastly different in tone, style and pacing and lack any obvious overlap. They are similar thematically, however. Both focus on small, personal stories occurring on the periphery of enormous, world-altering events.

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Movie Review: The Boy

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IMDB, The Boy“The Boy” on IMDB

Horror/Thriller, 97 Minutes, 2016

There’s a certain comfort to a classically staged horror story. An immense, ancient mansion in the English countryside, miles from the nearest aid. Is the daunting, wrought-iron fence keeping people out, or keeping… something, in? What’s hiding in the overgrown hedges, twisting corridors and shadowed corners?

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Movie Review: Zootopia

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IMDB, Zootopia“Zootopia” on IMDB

Family/Adventure, 108 Minutes, 2016

Consider this: A movie radically changes its premise well over a year into production, with less than 18 months to release. To support this, a secondary character is promoted to lead and a new director is brought in to partner with the existing crew. All of this comes from a team of no less than 10 writers. The entire perspective of the film altered.

The question: is this movie is a hot, steaming mess?

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Movie and Game Review: Ratchet & Clank Reimagined

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RatchetandclanklogoMy son was four in 2002 when Insomniac released the first “Ratchet and Clank” game on the PlayStation 2. He wasn’t truly able to play, but he watched me avidly and was upset if he discovered that I’d played without him. With the release of following games, they became our favorite series. We’d play through the games together, sharing our discoveries, and comparing notes. He’s 17 now (and I’m old). Will the modern reimagining of that first game and the companion feature film hold up to our idealized memories?

 

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Movie Review: The Lobster

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IMDB, The Lobster“The Lobster” on IMDB

Drama/Comedy/Romance, 118 Minutes, 2015

Remember the pain of the last time you were dumped? That feeling of betrayal and loss? How you’d mope around the house until the police came to take you to The Hotel where, if you didn’t find a suitable mate in 45 days, you’d be turned into the animal of your choice and let loose in the woods?

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Movie Review: The Visit

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IMDB, The Visit“The Visit” on IMDB

Thriller/Horror, 94 Minutes, 2015

As unlikely as it may seem, somebody gave M. Night Shyamalan [IMDB] money to make another movie. His last offering, 2013’s After Earth [My Review] is a truly pathetic sci-fi film. Prior to that, he proved his inability to do fantasy with The Last Airbender [IMDB]. What’s a Shyamalan to do?

Scuttle back to thrillers as quickly as possible, apparently.

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