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)
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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
Review: MAD MAX FURY ROAD
By Laurie Coker Rating: B I have watched all the Mad Max films and enjoyed Mel Gibson’s portrayal of the wild-eyed, crazy titular character. I took my friend to see the most recent Mad Max film because of his excitement to see it, not really mine. Still, going in with an open mind, I planned… Continue reading Review: MAD MAX FURY ROAD
Review: EX MACHINA (SXSW)
By Laurie Coker Rating: C+/B- Having spent several blocks having my students demonstrate their analysis of setting, theme and character for a novel using Minecraftedu, and watching a friend of mine take a graduate class in part inside a virtual world called Second Life, I looked forward to seeing Ex Machina at SWSX. I watched… Continue reading Review: EX MACHINA (SXSW)
Review: TRUE STORY
By Laurie Coker Rating: C Actor Jonah Hill flexes his acting muscles in his latest film True Story, but co-star James Franco never quite measures up to the character he means to emulate. Base on a the true story of New York Times writer, Michael Finkle’s fall from fame, director Rupert Goold’s film left me… Continue reading Review: TRUE STORY
Review: WOMAN IN GOLD
By Laurie Coker Rating: B+ Taking a softer approach to a film about the Nazi occupation of Austria can be daunting, but Simon Curtis creates a palatable, audience pleasing, recount of the case of Maria Altmann (Helen Mirren), an elderly Jewish woman living in Los Angeles who has claim to one of artist Gustav Klimt’s… Continue reading Review: WOMAN IN GOLD
Review: FIFTY SHADES OF GREY
By Laurie Coker Rating: C- I did it. I read Fifty Shades of Grey and the two sequels by pulp writer E.L. James. I sat curled up in my bed, glued to the poorly written pages of soft porn and a silly, Cinderella storyline and I wasn’t alone. Director Sam Taylor-Johnson takes on the challenge… Continue reading Review: FIFTY SHADES OF GREY
Review: MOMMY
By Laurie Coker Rating: A Parenting is rarely easy. As is often noted, children do not come with user guides, so we do our best. Single parenting challenges even the strongest of hearts, and such is the case with a mother struggling to raise her unpredictable 15 year-old son, in director Xavier Dolan’s film Mommy.… Continue reading Review: MOMMY
Review: THE BOY NEXT DOOR
By Laurie Coker Rating: F No doubt, Jennifer Lopez is a beautiful woman – her look defies age and inspires others, but that does not mean she knows what makes good film. She is enjoyable to watch, loved her in Selina and have liked her in many other films, but her genre has gone stale.… Continue reading Review: THE BOY NEXT DOOR