Author Archive
Film Review – Fifty Shades Darker
What exactly is the appeal of Christian Grey? Sure, he has enormous wealth and the body of a well-trained athlete, but is that enough to look past his creepy tendencies? The guy is a control freak, who takes what he wants when he wants it…
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Film Review – Rings
Rings (2017) is a special kind of awful. It’s not scary, or thrilling, or suspenseful, or remotely interesting. It’s a complete drag of a movie. Maybe the premise of this story wasn’t made for this generation. The Ring (2002) – or better yet, the original…
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Film Review – Midsummer in Newtown
On December 14th, 2012, in Newtown, Connecticut, a twenty-year old lone gunman entered Sandy Hook Elementary School. What followed was one of the worst tragedies in American history, the third deadliest mass shooting by a single person. The result was the death of twenty-six people,…
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Blu-Ray Review – Black Girl
Ousmane Sembène is considered by many to be the father of African cinema. A political activist, author, and filmmaker, the Senegalese Sembène made it his life’s mission to tell distinct African stories without white European influence (Senegal was once a French occupied territory). In collaboration…
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Film Review – Monster Trucks
Here is yet another opportunity for us to discuss how movies that barely register a reaction are usually the hardest to review. Monster Trucks (2016) is such a forgettable experience that it’s a struggle for me to write a full-length article on it. I’m clearly…
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Top 15 Films Of 2016 – Allen’s Picks
When I was a kid, I couldn’t wait to grow up. Adults got to do all the cool things. Every year seemed to drag by at a snail’s pace. Now that I actually am an adult, time has been moving way too fast. I keep…
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Film Review – Silence
In a way, Martin Scorsese’s entire career has been leading up to Silence (2016). Not only has he been trying to adapt Shûsaku Endô’s novel for decades, but this is the most direct examination of the themes that Scorsese has returned to again and again.…
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Film Review – Fences (Second Take)
There are films where the mastery of craft reveals itself subtly. Other times, the brilliance kicks the door down and makes its presence known loud and clear. Fences (2016) contains such powerful acting that we recognize it moments into the story. Denzel Washington directs August…
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