By Laurie Coker Rating: A+ The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling, the newest Disney version goes beyond what I imagined. I grew up with the original Disney animated cartoon, shared it with my son and then his children. Directed by Jon Favreau, the latest Jungle Book excites, engages and explores Kipling’s original themes with astonishing… Continue reading Review: THE JUNGLE BOOK
Category: MAIN
Review: THE BOSS
By Laurie Coker Rating: D Actress Melissa McCarthy churns out movies like a machine. Her talent for comedic timing is impeccable, but unfortunately, her choice of scripts, many written and directed by her husband Ben Falcone, leaves little to be desired in many cases. Foul language, filthy gags and silly pratfalls make for dull, dull… Continue reading Review: THE BOSS
SXSW Film 2016 Review: HIRED GUNS
By Renee’ Collins Rating: 5 (Out of 5 Reels) A documentary film about session and touring musicians that are hired by well-established and famous bands and artists like Metallica, KISS, and Billy Joel. These hired guns may not be household names, but are still masters of their craft (IMDB). This is one of the best… Continue reading SXSW Film 2016 Review: HIRED GUNS
Review: SXSW Films – Part 1
By Laurie Coker Having been caught up on the buzz of SXSW and all that entails, I found myself a bit distracted by the Interactive portion, but I did manage to get some quality and some cruddy films under my belt. I skipped out on red carpets this year, opting instead to find out about… Continue reading Review: SXSW Films – Part 1
Review: THE DIVERGENT SERIES: ALLEGIANT – PART 1
By Renee’ Collins Rating: 4 (Out of 5 Reels) After the earth-shattering revelations of Insurgent, Tris (Shailene Woodley) must escape with Four (Theo James) beyond the wall that encircles Chicago to finally discover the shocking truth of what lies behind it (IMDB). This film is the third installment in the Divergent Series and after seeing… Continue reading Review: THE DIVERGENT SERIES: ALLEGIANT – PART 1
Review: MIDNIGHT SPECIAL
By Renee’ Collins Rating: 3.5 (Out of 5 Reels) Roy (Michael Shannon), a father and his son Alton (Jaeden Lieberher) go on the run after the dad learns his child possesses special powers (IMDB). This film ultimately is about the bond between a boy and his caring parents. Roy and Sarah (Kristen Dunst) will do… Continue reading Review: MIDNIGHT SPECIAL
Reviews: ZOOTOPIA, LONDON HAS FALLEN, WHISKEY TANGO FOXTROT & KNIGHT OF CUPS
By Laurie Coker Rating: Zootopia: A, London Has Fallen: C, Whiskey Tango Foxtrot: C+ and Knight of Cups: F Opening just before spring break week are four extremely different films – an animated adventure, an action film, a drama/comedy and a film that falls in the “what the heck?” genre of filmmaking. Zootopia, London Has… Continue reading Reviews: ZOOTOPIA, LONDON HAS FALLEN, WHISKEY TANGO FOXTROT & KNIGHT OF CUPS
Review: LONDON HAS FALLEN
By Renee’ Collins Rating: 4 (Out of 5 Reels) In London for the Prime Minister’s funeral, Mike Banning (Gerard Butler) discovers a plot to assassinate all the attending world leaders (IMDB). Most will think this is just another film in a long line of the repetitive plotlines about an evil Middle Eastern warlord who tries to get revenge… Continue reading Review: LONDON HAS FALLEN
Review: RACE
By Laurie Coker Rating: C+/B- Historical biopics hit and miss with audiences and sports films almost always lean toward the feel-good underdog narrative, but Jesse Owens’ story, as depicted in Race, plays on a balance of history and agreeable storytelling. More than just a snippet from the life of Owens’ himself, Race offers a tiny… Continue reading Review: RACE
Review: THE FINEST HOURS
By Laurie Coker Rating: B Countless films have been made about the American armed forces, even the Coast Guard, but rarely to our coastal guardians get the screen time afford the other services. The Finest Hours, starring Chris Pine and Casey Affleck in the most notable performances of their careers, is based on the true… Continue reading Review: THE FINEST HOURS