I’ve always been a sucker for the creature feature; describe a movie as “giant killer (insert literally any noun in here),” and I’ll probably be excited to check it out – the campier the better. Such is the case with director Benni Diez’s feature debut, Stung, which involves giant killer wasps. It’s, gross, violent, silly and sometimes just plain stupid but in the best kind of way. Top it off with two completely ridiculously fun performances from Clifton Collins Jr. and Lance Henriksen, and you have yourself a bloody good time.
The quality of Terminator films has rapidly declined since James Cameron’s first two installments. Terminator Genisys is a bottoming-out. It’s a rat’s nest of typical time travel plot holes, garbled mythology, bland CGI action, superfluous narrative divergences, and hokey comic relief – even by Schwarzenegger standards. One may be able to pinpoint the death of the franchise as the moment when Schwarzenegger’s aged Terminator is arrested and smiles awkwardly for his mug shot while the theme from Cops plays on the soundtrack. That’s the level of inspiration on display throughout.
A daunting 150 short films are currently being screened at the Megaplex 17 at Jordon Commons in Sandy, Utah, for the Second Annual Filmquest Film Festival, which celebrates the horror, fantasy and science-fiction genres.
Five minutes into director Jalmari Helander’s latest, Big Game, and I felt myself transported back to the wonderful Amblin films I grew up on, with just a splash of ’80s-action cheese thrown in for good measure. It’s a ridiculous movie to be sure, but it revels in its ridiculousness and never takes itself too seriously.
7 Minutes is the title of a new crime thriller from writer-director Jay Martin, but it’s also about the same amount of time it took for me to lose interest in this film (couldn’t resist the zing). This paint-by-numbers heist flick channels Guy Ritchie and Quentin Tarantino at times but lacks the charm and style of those directors, opting for a more generic approach that results in a bland, forgettable movie going experience.
A daunting 150 short films are currently being screened at the Megaplex 17 at Jordon Commons in Sandy, Utah, for the Second Annual Filmquest Film Festival, which celebrates the horror, fantasy and science-fiction genres.
The entire affair that is Jason Banker's latest feature, Felt (co-written with Amy Everson), feels like a missed opportunity; which, as a whole, remain fairly common within the world of cinematic offerings. However, Banker and Everson's collaboration happens to deal with the difficulty existing in a rape culture society and its effect upon the film's main character. A significant, and undeniably challenging, issue to tackle effectively within the span of 80 minutes.
The “when-animals-attack” genre can often times be depended upon to deliver diverting entertainment. Pure and simple, as viewers we just want to see people getting attacked.
For decades, there have been films about countless animals – sharks, snakes, rats, dogs, wolves, bugs, spiders, bears, ants and even beavers – the list can go on and on. What they all hold in common is that the lead characters come face to face with said animals and must find a way to stop them. Meanwhile innocent bystanders get mauled or eaten in the process.
A daunting 150 short films are currently being screened at the Megaplex 17 at Jordon Commons in Sandy, Utah, for the Second Annual Filmquest Film Festival, which celebrates the horror, fantasy and science-fiction genres.
The films that comprise Richard Linklater’s Sunrise Trilogy are considered by many to be some of the best independent features of the last couple decades. In the trilogy, two strangers meet in the first film, and each subsequent film picks up their story several years after the previous installment. It’s very much like the acclaimed 7 Up saga, in which a group of individuals are revisited every seven years. With that in mind, it’s easy to dismiss Emily Ting’s feature film directorial debut as a “Linklater wannabe,” but though the formula may seem familiar, Ting’s directorial style and writing are not. It’s Already Tomorrow in Hong Kong is an engaging and relatable romantic drama that poses some interesting, awkward and heartfelt questions about life, love and the pursuit of talking plush toys.
*Review score based on quality of the product and not the film itself.*
If you’re not yet familiar with Japan’s Studio Ghibli, then Spirited Away – its 2001 animated tale about a young girl named Chihiro and her fantasy adventure – should be your introduction.
To be honest, I wasn't all that interested in Pixar's latest venture, Inside Out, which - in the film's trailer - had little discernible plot and only a brief introduction of the characters - personified human emotions: Joy, Sadness, Anger, Disgust and Fear.
But Pixar has yet to let me down thus far, so without hesitation, I eagerly went to see its most recent animated feature, featuring the voice talents of Amy Poehler, Phyllis Smith, Lewis Black, Mindy Kaling and Bill Hader.
Director Joe Dante has deservedly been considered one of the most beloved directors in the horror genre, injecting his own charm and love for the medium into his movies, so it pains me to say his latest effort, Burying the Ex, is a misfire.
This zombie comedy about a girlfriend coming back from the dead feels like its coming to the game a bit too late to feel relevant, with so many other similar films like it already out there – My Boyfriend’s Back, Life After Beth and Clinger, just to name a few.
“Never stop; never stop fighting till the fight is done.”
It seems rather odd for Be Here Now to open with a quote from The Untouchables, especially when one takes into consideration just what this particular film is about. Lilibet Foster’s powerful, intimate and emotional documentary chronicles Andy Whitfield’s battle with life-threatening cancer.
Featuring one of the best soundtracks I’ve heard all year, Rick Famuyiwa’s Dope presents itself as a coming-of-age story that somehow manages to feel fresh among the ever-present barrage of films featuring teenage turmoil.
The film opens with us being introduced to Malcolm, played by Shameik Moore, a ’90s hip-hop geek living in South Central Los Angeles who is just trying to get through each day without being beat up or murdered with his two best friends, Diggy (Kiersey Clemons) and Jib (Tony Revolori). Inspired in large part from Yo! MTV Raps, this trio’s style and interests make them easy targets for bullies and drug dealers, eventually landing them in a situation where they must offload a large quantity of MDMA before getting themselves killed.
Never before have I seen a film that spoke so much without uttering a single word of dialogue than in Miroslav Slaboshpitsky’s The Tribe.
The film contains no dialogue or subtitles; all communication is through sign language, which works way better than I could have ever expected and is something I’ve never experienced before in a film. Simply put, this is one of the best films of the year and is an absolute must-see.
6.5
