In the opening scene of “Despicable Me 3”, animation studio Illumination Entertainment takes a quick stab at rival Pixar with a blatant and brilliant gag involving the Minions. Both animation giants have released threequels to wildly popular franchises this month. Pixar took a more serious approach with “Cars 3”, while Illumination’s “DM3” is as upbeat […]
Every year there are one or two movies that get unreasonably over-hyped prior to their wide release. And so not only do these films have to be good, they also must live-up to the great expectations. “Baby Driver” is the first of these movies of 2017. Director Edgar Wright’s “Scott Pilgrim vs. the World” fit into this […]
The post-apocalyptic/mankind on the verge of extinction/epidemic virus crisis genre continues to grow at a rapid pace. From “World War Z”, “Contagion” and “28 Days Later” to the “Planet of the Apes” and “Hunger Games” franchises, and even “WALL-E”, we’ve seen it all. Joel Edgerton was a producer on the 2014 indie “The Rover”, which […]
Director Gabriela Cowperthwaite follows-up her incredible 2013 documentary “Blackfish” with another film examining the human-animal connection. This time it’s a narrative story, based on the real-life relationship of Marine Corporal Megan Leavey and her combat dog, Rex. The pair served together in Iraq in 2005 and ’06. Their tours, along with the training and post active […]
A covenant is an agreement. I’ve got a feeling I won’t be sharing a covenant with many die-hard “Alien” fans on Ridley Scott’s latest prequel, and “Prometheus” sequel, “Alien: Covenant”. The time is 2104 and the crew of the spaceship Covenant is looking for a new planet to call home. Members include Katherine Waterston, Billy […]
2015’s action/thriller “Run All Night” starred Liam Neeson and Ed Harris as longtime friends, hitmen and fathers who meet one night over dinner to discuss why one of their sons killed the other’s son and what should be done about it. The new psychological thriller “The Dinner” (based on a 2012 novel that’s previously been […]
The Smurfs are back…again. Sony re-vitalized the beloved little blue creatures with a CGI/live-action hybrid in 2011, followed by a just-as-entertaining, but not as financially successful, 2013 sequel. Now comes an all-CG reboot – “Smurfs: The Lost Village”. It begins, interestingly, with a trip down memory lane: Papa Smurf (Mandy Patinkin, taking-over the voice work […]
As is the case with all of Studio Ghibli’s hand-drawn animated dramas, including “Ponyo” and “The Wind Rises”, their latest, “The Red Turtle”, is incredibly picturesque. The scenery, consisting of landscapes, seascapes, sunrises and shots of the glowing moon, is absolutely gorgeous. However, even though it’s never uninteresting and presents challenges in its interpretation, “The Red Turtle” […]
“The Girl on the Train” is not a follow-up to 2014’s “Gone Girl”, as the titles might lead you to believe. And the comparisons don’t end there: both films are based on popular novels. Both stories are disappearance/possible murder mysteries featuring a female at the center of the action (with both actresses giving showcase performances). […]
Boxing movies, always a popular genre, have been a “main event” in Hollywood over the past few years. The latest on the card, “Hands of Stone”, is a lightweight compared to most fight films. But it does have an element of “class” and tone that provide for a satisfying viewing. This is the story of […]