Billy Batson (played by Asher Angel) is a 14-year-old who is presented with a last chance offer: After fleeing previous foster homes and getting caught breaking the law, he has one final opportunity to live with a new family and redirect his life. In addition to adapting to a brand new family unit, Billy must […]
PET SEMATARY New Movie Review: Brace yourself, horror fans
Assessing the overall value of a horror movie is easy. Basically, how scary is it? There are other factors to consider (intent, theme, production values, performances, sustained tension, etc) but really, when you get down to it, did the movie achieve its most transparent goal of unnerving its audience? I will admit that, in addition […]
THE EDGE OF PARADISE Movie Review: Catch this still-relevant film on April 6 for a one-night-only special screening
The Edge of Paradise (which has previously been titled Taylor Camp and Paradise Found) is Robert C. Stone’s documentary on the “Taylor Camp” hippie living community, which existed on Kaua‘i from 1969-1974. It encapsulates a lost time and recreates a you-had-to-be-there-to-really-get-it living community. Imagine, if you can, a seven-acre stretch of land on the Garden […]
DUMBO New Movie Review: It’s a flop-o
The 1941 Dumbo is one of Disney’s most beloved (if dated), emotionally rich, and rewarding animated films. It’s about a baby pachyderm, born in the circus, who is torn from his mother and turned into a circus freak but finds acceptance after discovering he can fly. The 2019 Dumbo is about how a once-reliable company […]
‘Us’ Movie Review: Writer and director Jordan Peele’s latest nightmare is a shocking and impressive follow-up to ‘Get Out’
Toward the end of the “Key & Peele” series on Comedy Central, the sketches were becoming alarmingly dark. Many of the bits had a twisted premise that would develop in ways that were fitting for a horror movie and seemed removed from the earlier, lighter, oft-quoted skits that have made the show notable. These dark […]
‘Rise of the Wahine: Champions of Title IX’: A relevant and beautifully crafted documentary with a message of equality and respect
Most sports documentaries focus on The Big Game and linger on the final celebration, relishing the winning score as it blares from the scoreboard. Dean Kaneshiro’s Rise of the Wahine: Champions of Title IX isn’t about a single game or the winning score at the end of a season, but a much greater victory with […]
STOKE New Movie Review: The spellbinding indie succeeds at capturing local flavor and evoking social commentary
At the start of Stoke, the debut film of writer/director team Zoe Eisenberg and Phillips Payson, we meet Jane (played by Caitlin Holcombe), who has sunk into a state of depression. She’s advised to get out of bed and take a trip, and a televised news story of lava flows inspires her to visit the […]
CAPTAIN MARVEL New Movie Review
Hints of Marvel Cinematic Universe fatigue have been detectable for a few years but finally overwhelms their latest product. The lesser of the mega-blockbuster MCU films have a dull interchangeability, underwhelming villains, and an over-reliance on CGI spectacle. This is especially evident in Captain Marvel, which, unfortunately, is an iffy showcase for the talented Brie […]
HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON: THE HIDDEN WORLD New Movie Review
It’s been five years since we last met up with Hiccup, the clumsy but remarkably brave young warrior who best friend is Toothless, a sweet yet ferocious dragon. The two live in Berk, a vast land shared by Vikings and hordes of dragons, who now live in harmony. A ruthless dragon hunter named Grimmel threatens […]
ALITA: BATTLE ANGEL New Movie Review
According to David Hughes’ The Greatest Sci-Fi Movies Never Made, James Cameron spent ten years after Titanic pondering what to make next before ultimately deciding on Avatar. During that period of indecision, Cameron came this-close to directing Terminator 3, Spider-Man, and True Lies 2. Alita: Battle Angel had also been floating around the rumor mill […]
HAPPY DEATH DAY 2 U: The scariest part is the possibility of another sequel
Two years ago, the busy, lucrative Blumhouse Productions horror company unleashed Happy Death Day on teen audiences and scored a solid hit. Depicting a self-absorbed college student named Tree (played by Jessica Rothe), who is murdered by a mad slasher and relives the fateful day again and again, it had the nerve to rip-off Groundhog […]
THE PRINCESS BRIDE Retro Movie Review: ‘As you wish,’ the cult classic returns to the big screen for a special one-night showing
When Rob Reiner’s The Princess Bride snuck onto screens late into September of 1987, hardly anyone noticed. School was back in session and, after a summer of testosterone-pumping behemoths like Beverly Hills Cop II, The Untouchables, and RoboCop, there wasn’t much of an audience for Reiner’s hard-to-categorize comedy/fantasy/adventure send-up. Making matters far worse were the […]
SERENITY New Movie Review: Matthew McConaughey’s Worst Movie?
When we meet Baker Dill (played by Matthew McConaughey), he’s drenched in sweat, living alone in a dumpy apartment, and lives to fish. Baker is particularly obsessed with catching a massive tuna he’s nicknamed “Justice,” a crazed fixation that has resulted in daily failed attempts to capture the fish with his patient first mate (played […]
THE FAVOURITE New Movie Review: ‘The Favourite’? Not Quite.
It happens every year. Of the dozens of movies that open between November and January that are touted as “The Year’s Best, Oscar-Bound, and An Instant Classic,” there’s always one in the pack that doesn’t live up to its hype. In fact, it’s usually a film I dislike so passionately, I wonder what on Earth […]
GLASS New Movie Review: The ultimate Shyamalan movie
M. Night Shyamalan’s Unbreakable was a comic book movie ahead of its time. Arriving a year after the monster success of his spooky and deeply moving The Sixth Sense, Shyamalan’s Unbreakable was shrouded in secrecy. No one knew what the film was even about until the day it opened. The initial response was muted, if […]
THEY SHALL NOT GROW OLD Movie Review: Don’t miss the Jan. 21 special showing of this ‘stunning’ film
The opening moments of They Shall Not Grow Old provides what you expect from a documentary about World War I; the footage is black and white, soundless and grainy. The aspect ratio is initially so boxy, it’s like looking through a keyhole at the center of the movie screen. Then, we hear the voices of […]
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