• Unbroken: Path to Redemption (2018) Review

    A FORMULAIC AND UNNECESSARY CODA TO UNBROKEN   Back in 2010, author Laura Hillenbrand released “Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption”, a non-fiction biography book

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  • Captain Marvel Official Trailer

    Get ready for see something “marvelous” as Marvel Studios releases the official teaser trailer for their upcoming superhero feature Captain Marvel. View trailer below.

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  • Mary Poppins Returns Official Trailer

    The “magic” always returns as Walt Disney Pictures and director Rob Marshall release the official trailer for their upcoming film Mary Poppins Returns. View trailer below.

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  • 12 Strong (2018) Review

    A STEADFAST (YET SLIGHTLY GENERIC) MILTARY BIO PIC   On September 11th, 2001, the entire nation of the United States faced an imaginable horror; an act of terrorism, which was

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  • The Nun (2018) Review

    GOD ENDS HERE   Back in 2013, during the same July weekend of when R.I.P.D. and Red 2 were released, director James Wan released the supernatural horror film titled The

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The Miseducation of Cameron Post (MovieMan Dan’s Review)

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A GRIPPING COMING OF AGE DRAMA

 

By this point in the year, the majority of the films that made a splash at Sundance have already been purchased and released to the public in one way or another. However, there are still a few big titles left to twinkle out and one of those titles is this year’s Grand Jury Prize winning title: “The Miseducation of Cameron Post”. Based on the 2012 novel of the same name (from author: Emily M. Danforth): “The Miseducation of Cameron Post” is finally getting a theatrical release in North America early next month. The film has been quite popular on the Winter-Spring 2018 Festival circuit and it has really captivated audience members with its glowing reviews, subject matter and a talented young cast.

I’ve been eagerly awaiting my chance to check this one out and so when the opportunity finally came – I made sure I put the time aside to give it a watch and so here I am with an early review for you guys. Read more

Duck Duck Goose (2018) Review

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A LAME DUCK

 

In the world of animation, various animal creatures have taken center stage in full-length animated feature films, populating its cinematic world in order to tell a cartoon tale. While the degree of these creatures has ranged far and wide within the animal kingdom, the usage of different types of winged creatures from the bird family has been used and utilized in these animated motion pictures endeavors. Of course, they’ve been used in supporting roles, but have been also used as the primary set of characters in these cartoon features. This includes the colorful singing and dancing escapades in 2011’s Rio (and its 2014 sequel), the WWII themed tale in 2005’s Valiant, the epic fantasy adventure in 2010’s Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga”Hoole, the thanksgiving buddy journey in 2013’s Free Birds, the boisterous video game adaptation in 2016’s The Angry Birds Movie, as well as several others. Now, Original Force Animation (along with Wanda Media Co. and GEM Entertainment) and director Chris Jenkins present the latest “feathered” adventure for animated birds with the movie Duck Duck Goose. Does this latest movie in children’s animation soar to new heights or is it a flightless (and boring) lame duck of a feature? Read more

Mission Impossible: Fallout (2018) Review

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THIS IS ONE MISSION YOU’ll

WANT TO ACCEPT

 

The Mission Impossible franchise has had a lengthy road, stretching from the small screen (all the way back from 1966 to 1973) to the big screen in 1996, with the release of the first film (i.e. Mission Impossible) and introducing the spy riddled world of character Ethan Hunt (played by actor Tom Cruise) to moviegoers everywhere. While the first movie, which grossed over $450 million and receive praise from critics, its’ two follow-up sequels Mission Impossible II in 2000 and Mission Impossible III in 2006, were faced with mixed reviews, but were still deemed commercial success at the box office. Perhaps the world wasn’t ready for another spy installment with Cruise’s Hunt and his fellow operatives. That was until 2011 when Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol, the fourth entry in the franchise, exploded into theaters. In a nutshell, director Brad Bird seem to breathing new life into the series with Ghost Protocol and rejuvenated the Mission Impossible brand name with more high-flying action stunts, visual vigor, and (possibly) a better narrative than the two previous sequels. The film went on to gross close to $649 million at the box office (the highest grossing Mission Impossible movie in the franchise) as well as the fifth highest grossing movie in 2011. With Mission’s mojo back (and positive praise from critics and the public), a fifth entry in the series materialized in 2015 with Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation. The movie, which was directed by Christopher McQuarrie, continued the on-going trend from Ghost Protocol in being more a high-action spy adventure with visuals and stunts and with (of course) Cruise once again returning as Ethan Hunt. Rogue Nation, much like its predecessor film, gained positive reviews and garnished roughly $680 million at the box office, becoming the second-highest grossing in the film series and the eighth highest grossing feature film in 2015. Now, nearly three years later, Paramount Pictures and returning director Christopher McQuarrie gear up for the sixth installment in the franchise with the movie Mission Impossible: Fallout. Does this latest entry in Ethan Hunt’s cinematic saga continue the positive remarks from the recent previous installments or is it time to retire the infamous IMF agent and the film series along with it? Read more

Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation (2018) Review

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A FUN (YET SLIGHTLY

UNFOCUSED) THREEQUEL

 

In 2012, animated director / writer Genndy Tartakovsky (along with a story by Todd Durham) released the cartoon movie Hotel Transylvania. The film, which starred the voice talents of Adam Sandler, Selena Gomez, Andy Samberg, and many others, told the story of Count Dracula’s daughter Mavis and how she finds an unexpected love interest when a human finds his way to her father’s hotel for legendary monsters of legend, causing unrest with Dracula himself. While the film faced mixed reviews from critics, moviegoers (especially the demographic target) found an interest in the animated monster tale, cultivating in a box office number of roughly $358 million against its production budget of $85 million. Given the modest success it found, its sequel Hotel Transylvania 2 was released in 2015, which continued the misadventures of those motley monster gang (and Dracula’s growing family) and saw the return of many (if not all) voice talents returning to their posts. Much like the first film, Hotel Transylvania 2 was met with mixed thoughts and criticisms, but was still able to achieve a box office sum of $473 million (roughly) against its $80 million budget. Now, after three since the release of Hotel Transylvania 2, Sony Pictures Animation and director Genndy Tartakovsky release the second sequel in the franchise with the movie Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation. Does this monster-filled threequel adventure finds its stride on the animated high seas or does this “summer vacation” installment fail to find its “monster groove”? Read more

Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again (2018) Review

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A FUN AND AMUSING

(BUT UNNECESSARY) MUSICAL SEQUEL

 

Back in 2008, the musical jukebox / romantic comedy film Mamma Mia! was released, delighting moviegoers with its songs and lightheartedness. Directed by Phyllida Lloyd, the film, which starred a star-studded cast (i.e. Meryl Streep, Pierce Brosnan, Colin Firth, Stellan Skarsgard, Amanda Seyfried) told the story of bride-to-be (Sophie Sheridan), her mother (Donna Sheridan), and the mystery behind the three men (Sam Carmichael, Bill Anderson, and Harry Bright) of who might be Sophie’s father. The film, which was based on the 1999 musical play of the same name, was a jovial affair, filled with singing and dancing, and iconic pop songs from the popular 1970s group ABBA. While the movie did face some criticism from both critics and the general public, Mamma Mia! did have a surprising large box office result, raking in over $615 million against its $52 production budget. That same year, Mamma Mia! became the fifth highest grossing movie of 2008. Now, a decade later, Universal Pictures (and Legendary Entertainment and Playtone) and director Ol Parker present the follow-up motion picture to the 2008 film with the movie Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again. Does this sequel / prequel find its voice in this new day and age of modern cinema or does something get lost within its 10-year gap between films? Read more

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