By Laurie Coker Rating: C An entire film centered around yellow, tater-tot looking characters who speak a little more than gibberish seems a bit of a stretch, especially for adults, and I am afraid it is. Minions, a prequel to the Despicable Me movies, tells the story of how the minions became henchmen for Gru.… Continue reading Review: MINIONS
Author: Laurie Coker
Review: TED 2
By Laurie Coker Rating: F Seth MacFarlane seems to love foul language and nasty crotch and potty humor. He masters the art of disgusting and try harder and harder in each of his film to shock his audiences. In is latest, the sequel to Ted, a story about a man and his teddy bear that… Continue reading Review: TED 2
Review: INSIDE OUT
By Laurie Coker Rating: A+ Growing up is hard to do – no doubt. Middle school is particularly difficult and if you add to that a big life changes, like a big family move. Pixar takes viewers in to the preteen mind of Riley, an adorable, hockey loving young girl whose life is turned upside… Continue reading Review: INSIDE OUT
Review: JURASSIC WORLD
By Laurie Coker Rating: B It is easy to get cynical and discouraged about sequels and remakes after writing reviews for over 15 years and seeing thousands of movies. Enter Jurassic World – roll eyes. No sequel or remake can capture the same spectacle, awe and surprise of a film like Jurassic Park, any more… Continue reading Review: JURASSIC WORLD
SXSW Review: TWINSTERS
By Laurie Coker Rating: A Twinsters premiered at SXSW this year and I happened on it almost accidently. It is a heart-warming looks at twins, separated at birth and reunited years later. Co-director (with Ryan Miyamoto’s)and documentarian Samantha Futerman raised money via Kickstarter, so she could make and bring her film, her own personal story… Continue reading SXSW Review: TWINSTERS
Review: SPY (SXSW)
By Laurie Coker Rating: A+ An all-star cast graces the big screen with Melissa McCarthy at the center of the new, hilariously funny summer comedy, Spy, that screened at SXSW this year. Jude Law and Rose Byrne and the ever macho Jason Statham join McCarthy in a fun spoof of espionage films. McCarthy, who walked… Continue reading Review: SPY (SXSW)
SXSW Review: WESTERN
By Laurie Coker Rating: F Never have I been as painfully bored in a movie, especially at SXSW, until I sat and squirmed through Western, a documentary about the border towns of Eagle Pass and its Mexican neighbor Piedras Negra. I truly wish I had better things to say, but I just don’t. Having grown… Continue reading SXSW Review: WESTERN
Review: LOVE & MERCY (SXSW)
By Laurie Coker Rating: A At SXSW this year, I had opportunity to meet John Cusack and Brian Wilson, of the Beach Boys, who were in town to promote their movie Love & Mercy, a biopic about the life of Wilson and the doctor who nearly ruined it completely. As a fan of the Beach… Continue reading Review: LOVE & MERCY (SXSW)
Review: SAN ANDREAS
By Laurie Coker Rating: D+ Earthquake, Towering Inferno, Twister and Poseidon Adventure are just a few of a long like of disaster movies. There is little fresh about recent cataclysm showings, expect perhaps for special effects. Time has given directors opportunity to create big as life images of earthquakes, floods and dystopian worlds. Computer imagery put… Continue reading Review: SAN ANDREAS
Review: TOMORROWLAND
By Laurie Coker Rating: C+/B- As a child, I had opportunity to visit Disneyland with my family. I remember standing in awe when we visited Disney’s “Tomorrowland” looking at the people mover mono-rail, moving sidewalks, space travel rides and exhibits, and other astonishing things. In that same vein and with the Walt Disney’s incredible visions… Continue reading Review: TOMORROWLAND