Author: Laurie Coker

By Laurie Coker Rating: A For generations, fans have flocked to theaters to see the Star Wars films played out in impressive, visually magnificent sci-fi fashion. Nothing can surpass seeing something spectacular for the very first time – the Grand Canyon, the Eiffel Tower, the Coliseum, the Great Pyramids and Star Wars. While perhaps linking… Continue reading Review: ROGUE ONE: A STAR WARS STORY

By Laurie Coker Rating: A It could have been easy for actor Casey Affleck to fall under the shadow of his brother Ben, and for a time, it looked like he might, but in his latest film Manchester by the Sea, Affleck demonstrates why we should stand up and take notice. The tone of Manchester… Continue reading Review: MANCHESTER BY THE SEA

By Laurie Coker Rating: A Disney has done it again and this time the sun shines brightly on Moana, a delightful inspiring animated feature showcasing the vocal talent of Dwayne Johnson and newcomer Auli’i Cravalho a Hawaiian native who steals the show with her magnificent singing. Boasting four directors and a host of screenwriters, Moana… Continue reading Review: MOANA

By Laurie Coker Rating: A- Last year’s Creed manage to make boxing interesting to the masses and this year, Bleed For This, starring Miles Teller, sets its sights on doing the same. Director and screenwriter Ben Younger, tells the true story of Vinny Pazienza, the only boxer to compete and win championships in three different… Continue reading Review: BLEED FOR THIS

By Laurie Coker Rating: C+ After this bizarre election year, nothing should surprise us, not even the arrival of aliens from another planet. While communication and unity seem to be eluding us of late, Arrival, starring Amy Adams and Jeremy Renner, plays on these premises that we, flawed humans, need to stop, look within and must… Continue reading Review: ARRIVAL

By Laurie Coker Rating: A Starting out this fall season, Doctor Strange, starring Benedict Cumberbatch, is a virtual cornucopia of visually stunning imagery and seamless CGI. Director Scott Derrickson, along with a plethora of writers, including Austin’s own C. Robert Cargill, give us a droll comic book hero with more arrogance and issues than Tony… Continue reading Review: DOCTOR STRANGE

By Laurie Coker Rating: D+/C- Dan Brown is a pedestrian writer – there I said it. Even with the exceptionally popular DaVinci Code, he lumbered insipidly and laboriously through a speculative tale of covert intrigue involving Christian convention and conspiracies, after which he produced two more mediocre novels. They’ve made millions and the first turned… Continue reading Review: INFERNO

By Laurie Coker Rating: B- Ben Affleck is perhaps as comfortable behind the camera as he is in front of it, if not more so. Regardless, he finds his rhythm as the titular character in his latest turn as a leading man in The Accountant. Director Gavin O’Connor, from a screenplay by Bill Dubuque, makes… Continue reading Review: THE ACCOUNTANT

By Laurie Coker Rating: A- Few who watched the news about the huge oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, especially those affected by the disaster, will ever forget the catastrophe on the off-shore oil rig the Deepwater Horizon. Director Peter Berg (Lone Survivor) gives viewers a taut, tense tale of that fateful day when… Continue reading Review: DEEP WATER HORIZON

By Laurie Coker Rating: B+ Riding gallantly into theatres is the newest Magnificent Seven, starring Denzel Washington, Haley Bennett , Chris Pratt, Vincent D’Oonfrio, Lee Byung-hun, Ethan Hawke, Peter Sarsgaard, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo and an entertaining ensemble cast. When a film follows the likes of a cult classic, iconic actors like Yul Brenner, Eli Wallach and… Continue reading Review: THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN