movie reviews – Cliff’s Notes: Rotted & Relatable Reviews

BARBIE

An excellent summer blockbuster filled with gutbusting giggles and gobs and gobs of gratuitous girl power. Barbie isn’t for boys. I don’t know if anyone ever implicitly stated this to me as a child but it was as intrinsically understood as the earth being round and the sky being blue. While this is an egregiousContinue reading “BARBIE”

MY TOP TEN DISNEY ANIMATED FEATURE FILMS

This might be my most controversial Top Ten Tuesday list so far because Disney fans be crazy. But hey, I’m a controversial guy sooo…let’s do this. As always, I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments! 10 – Beauty and the Beast My generation has the distinct pleasure of coming of age right smackContinue reading “MY TOP TEN DISNEY ANIMATED FEATURE FILMS”

RENFIELD

Promising premise peters out quickly in this mangled genre mix n’ match. I was looking forward to this movie enough that I caught the first showing in my area. The premise of centering Dracula’s familiar Renfield as the protagonist in his own story seemed ripe for creativity and humor. Boy was I disappointed. It wasn’tContinue reading “RENFIELD”

THROWBACK: Practical Magic

Marvelous performances, magic and a little murder make this movie a major mood. Few movies transport me back in time like Practical Magic. Every time I watch I’m right back in Sophomore Year at Millsaps College popping in the VHS before bed for the millionth time. It is, as the kids say, a vibe andContinue reading “THROWBACK: Practical Magic”

THE MENU

Cuisine is a weapon in this sharp as a butcher knife gourmet horror comedy. You know you’re in for it when Lord Voldemort is your host. In The Menu the audience and the unassuming patrons of Hawthorn, the finest of fine dining restaurants, are treated to a haute cuisine meal that’s every course is filledContinue reading “THE MENU”

FALL

An acrophobic adventure filled with silly thrills. I thought I only had one worst nightmare. Being stranded in shark infested water. Period. I couldn’t imagine anything more terrifying than that. Until today. Thanks a lot Fall. Now as easy as it is to avoid shark infested waters it is even easier to avoid the nightmareContinue reading “FALL”

KNOCK AT THE CABIN

Nothing new in this snoozy M. Night Shyamalacolypse. Are there any real M. Night Shyamalan fans left out there or are we all doing some form of hate watching at this point? Even when the twists are mildly entertaining, as is the case with Knock at the Cabin, they’re so on the nose and inelegantlyContinue reading “KNOCK AT THE CABIN”

THROWBACK: Raising Arizona

Early Coen Brothers classic proves they had the knack from way back. The Coen brothers are the modern arbiter of the tall tale. Only rather than superhumans like Paul Bunyan or Johnny Appleseed the Coen’s have chosen petty criminals, assorted crooks, and small town cops as their protagonists to tell the story of today’s America.Continue reading “THROWBACK: Raising Arizona”

THE UNBEARABLE WEIGHT OF MASSIVE TALENT

Nic Cage stars as Nic Cage in this overlooked comeback comedy. Not that he went anywhere. Nicolas Cage has become somewhat of a meme king and this film proves once and for all he is in on the joke. In this highly stylized, refreshingly original caper comedy Cage is at his pathological, self-parodying best. It’sContinue reading “THE UNBEARABLE WEIGHT OF MASSIVE TALENT”

NAVALNY

Oscar winning doc shines light in Russia’s darkest corners. Russia is a scary place. But the bigger question asked by this fascinating Academy Award winning documentary is: is Russia all that different from the rest of the world? This is a story of absolute power, absolute corruption and the media that loves – and liesContinue reading “NAVALNY”