By Laurie Coker Rating: C+ Living in a perpetual loop does not sound appealing at all, but living in a loop that ends in disaster sounds horrific. That is what happens to Samantha Kingston (Zoey Deutch) in Before I Fall. Directed by Ry Russo-Young and written Maria Maggenti, Before I Fall gives us shamelessly senseless… Continue reading Review: BEFORE I FALL
Category: Reviews
Review: LOGAN
By Laurie Coker Rating: A We are used to origin stories when it comes to our superheroes. Whether we look at Avengers, Batman, Superman or X-Men, there is a sense of character connection when we know from whence they came. While Logan, starring Hugh Jackman and Patrick Stewart, might feel like a finale, director and… Continue reading Review: LOGAN
Review: THE GREAT WALL
By Renee’ Collins Rating: 1 (Out of 5 Reels) European mercenaries, William (Matt Damon) and Tovar (Pedro Pascal), searching for black powder become embroiled in the defense of the Great Wall of China against a horde of monstrous creatures (IMDB). After viewing the trailer for this film, most would think that the first person they… Continue reading Review: THE GREAT WALL
Review: GET OUT
By Mark Saldana Rating: 3.5 (Out of 4 Stars) This December will be the 50th anniversary of the release of Stanley Kramer’s Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner, a movie that examines a love story between a black man and a white woman and the reactions of their parents. Between then and now, romantic interracial relationships… Continue reading Review: GET OUT
Review: ROCK DOG
By Mark Saldana Rating: 3 (Out of 4 Stars) Parent-child relationships have provided material for lots of stories, especially in cinema. Despite this saturation, they still manage to resonate with audiences, especially when handled well. Rock Dog is another example of such a story that can still touch the hearts of people, regardless of the… Continue reading Review: ROCK DOG
Review: A UNITED KINGDOM
By Mark Saldana Rating: 3.5 (Out of 4 Stars) This week I watched and reviewed two very different stories on race relations and romantic interracial relationships. One is Get Out, a fictional, horror-thriller film with a biting sense of humor. The other is this film, A United Kingdom, which is a straightforward, biographical drama about… Continue reading Review: A UNITED KINGDOM
Review: GET OUT
By Laurie Coker Rating: B Clearly, a deeply satirical piece, director Jordan Peele’s new horror film Get Out, starts with a slow roll and builds to a jolt a minute revelation. Still, there is a predictability that over shadows many aspects of the fear factor. Thankfully, the film’s exceptional cast and Peele’s narrative – a… Continue reading Review: GET OUT
Review: FIST FIGHT
By Mark Saldana Rating: 2.5 (Out of 4 Stars) Three O’Clock High, the movie which loosely inspired this movie, offers a slightly subversive, comedic take on a showdown story. Director Phil Joanou and writers Richard Christian Matheson and Thomas Szollosi came up with a highly inventive and thoroughly entertaining movie that has a unique style of… Continue reading Review: FIST FIGHT
Review: A CURE FOR WELLNESS
By Mark Saldana Rating: 2 (Out of 4 Stars) A problem with some slow-burning thrillers is the tendency to fizzle out when they are supposed to erupt with excitement and surprises. Such is the key issue with Gore Verbinski’s A Cure for Wellness, a creepy and strange movie that spends too much of its run time… Continue reading Review: A CURE FOR WELLNESS
Review: THE GREAT WALL
By Mark Saldana Rating: 3 (Out of 4 Stars) Director Zhang Yimou (Hero, House of Flying Daggers) is a filmmaker, well-known for a gorgeous and majestic style. For his latest movie The Great Wall, his first film with an American lead actor, Yimou employs some of his elegant sensibilities, but isn’t afraid to get gritty… Continue reading Review: THE GREAT WALL