By Laurie Coker Rating: C There seems to be a more noticeable trend now for taking traditional male roles and casting women in them, especially in the violent action film genre. The problem with this lies in the fact that these stories aren’t fresh. Director Cedric Nicolas-Troyan makes a genuine effort to create an action-packed… Continue reading KATE
Author: Laurie Coker
MALIGNANT
By Laurie Coker Rating: C+/B- Admittedly, horror films don’t thrill me. I prefer old-school scary movies like Hitchcock’s. He knew how to terrify with implication and camera angles and not gratuitous violence and floods of blood. Director James Wan’s ‘Malignant’ does use some impressive approaches to the terror factor, but ultimately, he relies far too… Continue reading MALIGNANT
TOO SOON: COMEDY AFTER 9/11
By Laurie Coker Rating: A- When is too soon, after a tragedy – to move on, to forgive, to laugh? ‘Too Soon: Comedy After 9/11’ answers the question of when it is too soon to be situationally funny. The nation and the world witnessed the horrific events of the terror attack on the United States,… Continue reading TOO SOON: COMEDY AFTER 9/11
THE GATEWAY
By Laurie Coker Rating: D+ Well-crafted, slow-burn character-driven dramas can entertain more effectively than those riddled with nonstop action. Still, under the hand of an ineffective director, slow-burn can turn to listless and dull. ‘The Gateway,’ starring Shae Whigham and Oliva Munn, smolders so sluggishly and somberly that the story gets lost in the shadows… Continue reading THE GATEWAY
BECKETT
By Laurie Coker Rating: C- Movies that might not have otherwise seen the light of day in past years are popping up on streaming channels to feed the desires of cautious cinephiles who haven’t returned to theaters. ‘Beckett’ is such a film, and an embassy with a portrait of Obama ages the film almost five… Continue reading BECKETT
REMINISCENCE
By Laurie Coker Rating: C- Our memories, good or bad, often drive us and guide our lives. Still, some events are better forgotten, like the over two hours spent watching ‘Reminiscence’ starring Hugh Jackman, Rebecca Ferguson, and Thandie Newton. Writer/director Lisa Joy bites off a lofty challenge of playing with time and memories and ends… Continue reading REMINISCENCE
FREE GUY
By Laurie Coker Rating: B+ Director Shawn Levy with a crisp, although not particularly fresh, script by Matt Lieberman and Zak Penn, creates a wild world where gaming and reality intersect in an action-packed, hilarious character-driven romp. ‘Free City’ creators don’t draw from a single video game, or a sitcom, or any other source material,… Continue reading FREE GUY
JUNGLE CRUISE
By Laurie Coker Rating: B- Following in the footsteps of successful franchises like “Pirates of the Caribbean”, Disney’s Jungle Cruise sails into theatres just before school starts, offering families a fun escape from the sweltering heat. Based on the popular Disney amusement park attraction, this CGI and action-packed adventure-comedy showers viewers with spectacle, special effects… Continue reading JUNGLE CRUISE
OLD
By Laurie Coker Rating: D+ It is easy to give director M. Night Shyamalan second (third, fourth …) chances. After all, he did blow our minds with “The 6th Sense” and entertain us with “Signs” and for some “Unbreakable”. Since then, however, his subsequent films are more whaaat? than wow. “Old”, the director’s latest venture… Continue reading OLD
BLACK WIDOW
By Laurie Coker Rating: B Summer blockbusters are rolling into theatres – perhaps more slowly than most would like, but popcorn is popping and cinephiles are returning to the comfort of the familiar movie houses. And at a time when we most need the diversion, “Black Widow”, starring Scarlett Johansson storms in, providing an overly… Continue reading BLACK WIDOW