Movie Review: Catch 22: Based on the Unwritten Story by Seanie Sugrue (2016)
If attempting to make a film that might be considered edgy, make absolutely certain that it is an audacious work and not just an exercise in being insufferable.
Movie Review: Silence (2016)
Christianity came to Western Japan in 1542 by way of Jesuit missionaries from Portugal who brought gunpowder and religion. They were welcomed mostly for the weapons they brought and their religion was allowed to be practiced openly. Christianity was banned, however, after reports circulated of missionary intolerance towards the Shinto and Buddhist religions, and there…
Movie Review: Underworld: Blood Wars (2016)
Well, we’ve had “Blood Orchid” and “Blood Feuds” and “Blood Money.” We’ve also had “Blood Rain,” “Blood Brother,” “Blood Orgy” and even “Blood Diamond.” Isn’t it about time we had some good old-fashioned “Blood Wars”? As in Underworld: Blood Wars? Uh, then again, maybe it isn’t. During the prologue for this Anna Foerster directed effort…
Movie Review: Vampyres (2015)
Vampyres is based on a 1974 cult classic. I haven’t seen the original, but it looks perfectly sleazy, decadent, and nasty, so I’m sure it’s right up my alley. Unfortunately, its successor is charmless and devoid of such luxuries as acting and a decent script. Which kind of means it fails at being a bad…
Movie Review: A Monster Calls (2016)
While this J.A. Bayona (“The Impossible”) directed effort (based on a best-selling book by Patrick Ness), A Monster Calls, is a wonderful visual and visceral experience (and currently has critics fawning all over themselves), I, for one, can only wonder for whom this film was made. It’s certainly too dark and foreboding for children —…
Movie Review: Timecode (2016)
Undoubtedly, Cannes produces a showcase selection of films considered artistic or valuable, but it also incurs the inevitable backlash. As such, being the winner of the Palme d’Or in the short film category, it’s impossible to respond to Timecode without fastidious scrutiny.
Movie Review: Sing (2016)
School movies, as a general rule of thumb, can usually be counted on to feature either an inspirational teacher or a terrible one. There’s little room for in-between. Kristóf Deák’s dramatic short Sing (Mindenki) opts for the latter, telling the tale of a kids’ school choir in Budapest that’s run by perfectionist singing teacher, Miss…