Review: GOOSEBUMPS 2: HAUNTED HALLOWEEN

(l to r) Caleel Harris, Madison Iseman, Slappy and Jeremy Ray Taylor in Columbia Pictures' GOOSEBUMPS 2: HAUNTED HALLOWEEN.

By Laurie Coker Rating: C- A sure-fire way to measure the quality of a kid’s movie is to attend with a seven-year-old and a fourteen-year-old. I attended the screening with my granddaughter and her older brother. At first, the little one (her nickname is Chiquita or Little), did not want to go. I had taken… Continue reading Review: GOOSEBUMPS 2: HAUNTED HALLOWEEN

Review: THE HOUSE WITH A CLOCK IN THE WALLS

By Laurie Coker Rating C+ Just in time for Halloween and tendering a reasonably friendly fair, The House with a Clock in the Walls, starring Jack Black and Cate Blanchet, takes viewers back to the 1950’s and offers up thrills and laughter. Director Eli Roth manages an entertaining mix of nightmarish jump-worthy fear-factors and silly,… Continue reading Review: THE HOUSE WITH A CLOCK IN THE WALLS

Review: PEPPERMINT

By Laurie Coker Rating: D Jennifer Garner and her relationship with Ben Affleck has been tabloid fodder for a long while now. Even before the vultures of heartbreak news took hold, Garner’s made a name for herself. As the star of the long-running television hit, Alias, and more recently as the face of Capital One… Continue reading Review: PEPPERMINT

Review: MILE 22

By Laurie Coker Rating: D+ Mark Wahlberg looks great, but his latest film, Mile 22 is little more than action, death, and mayhem held together by a thin transparent string of a story. Peter Berg, the director of Lone Survivor, helms this violent, sometimes intense fiasco. Wahlberg does his thing, but it simply isn’t enough.… Continue reading Review: MILE 22

Review: FERDINAND

By Laurie Coker Rating: C Ferdinand is a great deal of bull. Even with voice talent as varied as the bulls in the yard, the picture book turned animated feature, Ferdinand, fails to please audience members over the age of six or seven. There just isn’t much meat on the bones of the story. The… Continue reading Review: FERDINAND

Review: WIND RIVER

By Laurie Coker Rating: A There is the intensely visceral aspect to Taylor Sheridan’s new film Wind River. His presentation of the gorgeous, frigid landscapes penetrates to the core and his characters are rich and engrossing. Sheridan, who also penned the script, captures his audience, draws it directly and unforgivingly into the frozen, harsh Wyoming… Continue reading Review: WIND RIVER