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• A Star Is Born (R, 2018)

  - by johncasey654

  A vanity project run amok. Cooper should have remained behind the camera. Joanne Germanotta can sin... read moreg but can't act. This trope of rising star eclipsing falling star is getting old. The entertainment biz is always been a zero-sum game....nothing new here. A waste of Sam Elliott's time. (10-21-18)

• Overlord (R, 2018)

  - by fb733768972

  It's a rarity that movies like this are made today. Original concepts are either tampered with by a ... read morestudio or forced to change in order to fit a franchise or set up an entire universe of movies. It's rare that filmmakers in Hollywood (these days) are given complete freedom to create the movie they want to create, or so it seems. Happily, after watching Overlord, I noticed none of that. While the subject matter may not interest a large audience, I believe this movie can be enjoyed by fans of many genres. If you have an open mind, whether you're a fan of war films, sci-fi films, or a good old fashion slasher/horror, I think Overlord may impress you as much as it impressed me. From start to finish, here's why I believe it's very hard for audience members to get bored with this one.
  
  Nearing D-Day, American soldiers are being flown into the battlefield. After their plane is shot down, they form an unlikely ally, while one of them begins to discover that the Nazis have been kidnapping Americans and experimenting on them in bizarre ways. This movie asks a lot of you throughout the second and third acts, as it sets it up as a war film, but pulls the rug out from under you as the movie progresses. As I mentioned, this film is part war, part sci-fi, and part horror, and those genres surprisingly blend together very well and this movie never keeps you waiting. The pacing of this film is easily the aspect that stood out the most to me.
  
  A premise like this can easily be chuckled at, but the fact that it begins as a war film, turns into a sci-fi film, and ends up being a horror movie, makes for a very interesting experience. From the second this film started, I felt riveted. Whether you're into an action sequence, a comedy bit, or on the edge of your seat to see who will make it out alive, there's absolutely no downtime. I'm not saying some movies don't need or deserve to be three hours long, but this is a perfect example of a film that utilizes the perfect amount of time needed to tell its story. Giving just the right amount of characters development to most of the crew, just the right amount of horror to not turn off the action junkies who just came for that, and hardly any drawn-out scenes of characters conversing, at 105 minutes, there isn't a single moment where you can take a break and then come back, not having missed something.
  
  Although Julius Avery does a very solid job in terms of direction, it's the combination of a tight script by Billy Ray and Mark L. Smith and the frenetic editing by Matt Evans that truly shine here. To me, the overall outcome of the pacing of this film originated with those two elements. On top of that, you have a great cast to keep your audience engaged. While I haven't heard of many of these performers in the past, I can see them receiving quite a few jobs in the near future. For what this film was trying to be, I really can't find many things to complain about here.
  
  In the end, Overlord shocked me with how much I actually enjoyed it. The premise itself should make for a bad On Demand release that most people would forget about, but there's a lot of effort put into this movie. The overall story itself may be its biggest issue, due to the fact that there are flaws within the plans of what the Nazis are plotting, but that was a minor nitpick in the grand scheme of things. Personally, I was on the edge of my seat from start to finish and I highly recommend this movie to those who can handle the three genres of war, sci-fi, and horror. Overlord is tightly paced and full of energy.

• Venom (PG-13, 2018)

  - by fb1442511448

  Forceful, cringe-worthy CGI, dialogue and humor, Venom needs more than just its witty, charming chem... read moreistry from Hardy and his symbiotic counterpart to save what seems to be just another sub-par entry in Sony's attempt to salvage what universe it has or is trying to create. 2.3/5

• Venom (PG-13, 2018)

  - by fb770380186

  Was it really necessary to remake Leigh Whannell's Upgrade within the same year? Of course, this is ... read moreSony Pictures we're talking about who are lucky if they can avoid butchering a film, much less finish a full cut before release. It makes sense that they would leave all of that heavy lifting (plot, characters, machinations, etc.) to a film where the makers thought of it as anything more than a paycheck. They certainly had the good sense to assemble a fairly good cast (Tom Hardy, Michelle Williams, Riz Ahmed, and Jenny Slate) which more often than not works in the poor screenplay's favor despite any glaringly apparent internal wincing from these brave (and hopefully well compensated) thespians' auras.
  
  But seriously, if Michelle Williams' character had been murdered this would be the exact same story, beat for beat, as Upgrade. Tom Hardy and Logan Marshall-Green could be siblings, and their respective body inhabitants' dialogue dynamics and physical effects are so close one could easily make the case for direct plagiarism. But I'm not going to argue the point because I'd rather talk about how Venom could easily pick up where Sam Raimi's Spiderman 3 left off had he excised his obligatory blight - the character Venom himself. This movie plays out like a mutated treatment for Spiderman 4, but thankfully Raimi jumped the shark in that last episode so Sony's CG effects team would have a full decade to crap out this.
  
  The film, much like the eponymous anti-hero, is a mixed bag of weird goo, trying to cram an otherwise carefree, Joe-schmoe character, Eddie Brock, into the body of a socially conscious journalist who doesn't have the foresight to separate his private life with his vocation. As a character he's totally likable, so when he does insanely stupid things (like destroy his professional career in one bumbling gaffe or end up in a top secret lab with an alien symbiote) it seems at odds with his otherwise street smart identity. This could easily be accounted for if he had made these brash decisions while under the influence of Venom not unlike Peter Parker's disco dance in Spiderman 3, but since all of these contrived situations have to occur to get to that point the whole thing seems pretty stupid. Raimi was fine with rolling with these contrivances and relished the moment for better or worse, so in that regard, Venom continues Raimi's trend of making tonally inconcise, yet nevertheless entertaining, spandex-man computer cartoons. If you want to see some incomprehensible garbage fly across the screen, there have been longer dumpster fires in the history of the genre than Venom.

• A Star Is Born (R, 2018)

  - by bradley2296

  A Star is Born (2018) is all kinds of sad. Most of it intended by Cooper as the director and by the ... read morenarrative. However, with little joy in the proceedings, it's hard to feel genuinely moved by film's downward spiral narrative arc, that ends in a bit of a cliche infected form. Bradley Cooper is clearly a stronger actor here than director, as some scenes are choppily crafted and often messy in the way they're improvised. Hpwever, Lady Gaga delivers a stirring show, at first meek, but then blossoming displaying her powerhouse vocals. The first thirty minutes of the film are basically perfection, climaxing in a goosebumps inducing Gaga showstopper. But once, the oft-told drug addict narrative is in full swing, the elation of performance gets sapped from the screen, and while undeniably tragic, it becomes an arc we've seen before in many a rockstar with personal issues stories. Gaga will deservedly get recognized for her first main film role, and she is stunning. Cooper as well here delivers a powerful performance, but one in service of a basic plot with no where to go but down. Rating: 62

• Bohemian Rhapsody (PG-13, 2018)

  - by Tss807

  I never really liked the rock band Queen, and as far as it's front-man, all I really knew w... read moreas that he was the first superstar to die from AIDS. Knowing this, I feared that this film would be just another Philadelphia, and I was hesitant to see it. That is until the reviews of Rami Malek's career defining performance were released. To my surprise and delight this film wasn't just about Freddy Mercury's life_b_style nor was it about the way he tragically died. Bohemian Rhapsody is a film that not only parallels the life of Mercury, but it also shows everything that goes into making a successful band. From their humble beginnings to the process of how music is made, what it's inspirations are, what goes into making an album, and finally to the internal conflicts involved with the different personalities in a band. Bohemian Rhapsody illustrates better than any film I have ever seen, what it truly means to be part of a successful band. As for it's star, Mr. Robot's Rami Malek proves in one foul swoop that he is so much more than simply a TV drama star. His performance was far and away the best I've seen all year, and even though we're a long way away from Academy Award nominations, if Malek's name isn't at the top of that list, it will be an unmitigated outrage. Not only does Malek nail the performance, but he is Freddy Mercury right down to his mannerisms. To be honest, if Freddy Mercury were still alive and starred in this film, I don't think even he'd be as convincing as Malek was. The film is truly a performance that will be talked about for decades, but what about the film itself? Being that music is a huge part of my life, I found everything to be very interesting and informative, but others could see it as slow moving and somewhat boring. Some of the choices Bryan Singer made could be questioned, such as showing the entire Live Aid performance, all twenty minutes of it. Yes, it is an important part of the Queen story, but to show the whole thing in a feature film? Overall, I thought this film was terrific and even if you aren't into the music and aren't a fan of Queen, you need to see this film for nothing else than the performance of it's star. Performances like this one are what gives films the title of classic and are talked about and studied forever.

• A Star Is Born (R, 2018)

  - by frankimi

  A close up of the performing sensation that is Lady Gaga, who is a worthy musical successor to Garla... read morend, and whose powerful presence carries the film. There are also first class guitar riffs and solos, and a big effort by Cooper in playing the rock star. The film delivers an unvarnished view of the life of music stars in general - perhaps its main virtue. Gaga and Cooper give a lot, but the show should have been about two thirds of its length. It lacks the sophistication of the Garland/ Mason. Gaga is a better musician than she is an actor, though it wouldn't have mattered if the screenplay had been more developed, the directing more objective and the editing more ruthless. Cooper's persona tends to hide the character's inner life; there are only a couple of intense close-ups where you really see within Jack. Compare American Sniper, where the role is relatively narrow, but shows a complex inner life. A fine support cast fills the screenplay, and provides relief from the stars' moribund tale. A lot of the dialogue is mumbled and slurred. Visually the film is unpleasant. Cooper looks permanently unwashed; Gaga apart from the early stages and maybe the final scene is _b_styled hideously; the concert arenas are cavernous; the interiors are claustrophobic, and their home is finished in ugly, bare wood. The music consists mainly of sentimental rock and pop/ rock power ballads; while it keeps going like that, you can start wondering how many more of those you want to hear. The film drags on through its depressing and well-known stages; but, since most people will go not to this for the cinema so much as for the stars, those you do get in spades.

• Bohemian Rhapsody (PG-13, 2018)

  - by fb733768972

  It's inevitable. Multiple biopics are now created on a yearly basis, and will continue to be made un... read moretil the end of time. In my opinion, if not a single writer can come up with an original concept, then exploring the true story of someone or something is far more interesting than remaking a classic film. Bohemian Rhapsody is the latest in a long line of already released and upcoming biopics-and it's one of the most enjoyable theatre experiences I've had all year. Already thinking I knew a lot about this story before going in, I was pleasantly surprised by quite a few aspects of this story. Whether or not you're a fan of the band Queen or not, this movie has the makings of a film that can please many viewers. I thoroughly enjoyed watching this film, and here's why.
  
  I knew Bohemian Rhapsody was a movie that was going to heavily focus on Freddie Mercury over the rest of the band, which I thought was going to feel imbalanced, but the way his story is presented here makes it seem like his life had the most story to tell. From working at an airport to performing one of the most memorable concerts in history, this film takes you on a decade-long journey that's well worth your time. I was never bored, because it either wows you with spectacle, engages you with its drama, or has you guessing about where the film is going to take you next. It's not a perfect movie, but I think I can go as far as to say it's a perfectly made film in terms of its presentation.
  
  I'm always looking for a movie to break out of the cliched way of telling a biopic, but I will admit this film slightly suffers from that at times. It does feel like it jumps from year to year, simply hitting the most important aspects of Mercury's life, which is fine, but we've seen that structure throughout numerous films in the past. With that said, that's truly the only complaint I can come up with here. If you don't like listening to the music of Queen, then I feel that will also be a detriment to the movie for you, but that would just be personal taste anyway. For the movie that it is, it works extremely well.
  
  What surprised me the most about Bohemian Rhapsody was the performance by Rami Malek as the leading man. I've seen him countless times in the past, appearing as comedic relief in films like Need for Speed or the Night at the Museum franchise, but I've never seen him shine in a leading dramatic role before. If this performance doesn't put him on the map, I'm not sure what will, because I was blown away by his portrayal here. Even if this movie suffered from lazy writing or a lack of energy, Malek's performance would've still held my attention, and that says a lot, especially for someone who I never expected to perform like this.
  
  In the end, Bohemian Rhapsody benefits from great editing (which hardly jumps out at me very often), some very solid direction (controversy aside), concert sequences that will impress many viewers, and an overall brisk pacing, even with the lengthy run time. I had a blast watching this movie and even with all of the depressing elements of this story, it's always well-balanced with happier or energetic moments. Aside from the lead performance, I can't see this movie receiving many nominations, but I will say that I can see it becoming a fan favourite movie of 2018. This is the definition of a crowd-pleaser. Bohemian Rhapsody is a great theatre experience from start to finish.

• A Star Is Born (R, 2018)

  - by fb720603734

  THAT 70s MOVIE - My Review of A STAR IS BORN (4 1/2 Stars)
  
  There's no way around the fact... read more that despite some shortcomings here and there, Bradley Cooper's directorial debut with A STAR IS BORN is a triumph for everyone involved and truly filled with greatness. For everyone who complains that "they don't make 'em like that anymore", who miss films which take their time building relationships and give their actors room to breathe, who appreciate the scale and grandeur of Hollywood films, then this intimate epic will serve as a perfect antidote for all of the soul-deadening CGI drivel passing as movies these days. Yes, Marvel, I'm talking to you!
  
  Sure, this is a remake four times over of a melodramatic "one rises while the other one falls" tale, and most will agree the 1954 George Cukor version starring Judy Garland and James Mason is the most definitive, but this latest version has its own uniquely fizzy charms. Set in the music world much like the 1976 Barbra Streisand/Kris Kristofferson debacle, Cooper and his co-writers, Eric Roth and Will Fetters, seem to have specifically remade that film and turned it into something much more special. He uses the same boilerplate, the same bubble bath makeover of our male lead, and even the same, "I just wanted to take another look at you" line. They're worth stealing, even though that film had more problems than not. In the Barbra version, I wasn't even convinced that she and Kristofferson had ever met, so non-existent was their chemistry. That film will always have "Evergreen", but this one will be known as the one that launched Cooper as a very fine director and showed off Lady Gaga, in her feature debut, as a charming, endearing, ballsy, sensitive, natural screen actor.
  
  Eschewing the horrors of Kristofferson's opening number, "Watch Closely Now", Cooper opens the film with his aging addict country rock star, Jackson Maine, executing a very credible Pearl Jam-esque song. Cinematographer Matthew Libatique (BLACK SWAN) shoots close and loose, allowing the viewer to feel the concert from the star's POV. On the limo ride from the concert, Jackson runs out of alcohol and persuades his driver to pull over at a gay bar. It's drag night, and Ally (Lady Gaga), who works as a cater-waiter and has just dumped her boyfriend, is about to perform. Her BFF, Ramon (a charming, guileless Anthony Ramos), befriends Jackson and prepares him for her appearance. Et voila, out comes Gaga with glued-on eyebrows dancing across the bar singing "La Vie En Rose". She lies down and turns to face Jackson in one of those unforgettable movie moments, and we're off to the races.
  
  Enchanted by her, Jackson, drunk but still able to fixate on Ally, spends an entire night with her, asking questions, adoring her nose, talking about what's important to them, and getting blown away by her talent when she sings a song to him. It's all done so naturalistically, giving us a budding relationship beat by delicious beat. It felt so alien to me, the kind of storytelling only seen in indies anymore, where character is king. In fact, it felt like a 70s movie, more specifically a Hal Ashby film with a little bit of Cameron Crowe's 70s-set ALMOST FAMOUS thrown in there. There's a comfortable, hippie vibe to everything. Jackson Maine may as well have been Jackson Browne. Carole King's TAPESTRY album graces Ally's bedroom walls as vinyl records and turntables seem to populate everyone's living room. Except for a specific reference to YOUTUBE and a lovely, accepting drag sequence (great scene-scene-stealing work from Shangela and Willam Belli here), A STAR IS BORN sits comfortably in the Me Decade.
  
  Like the character he plays, Cooper the filmmaker seems dazzled by his star and allows us so many visual moments where we get to discover something new and great about her. From the grace note where he runs his finger down her nose as her eyes turn towards him with a look of incredulity, to the truly transcendent moment she takes the stage to sing "Shallow", where every emotion washes across her face, ending in the most adorable button at the end when she squeals, "There are so many people!". By now, at this stage in her career, Lady Gaga could be the most jaded person on the planet, but clearly she remembers where she came from, exuding the freshness and innocence the role requires. It also necessitates a lot of scrappiness, which she rises to the occasion with scenes in a grocery store, a bar, or simply by defending herself while in a bathtub. Not surprisingly, Gaga shines in the music sequences, which feature a host of memorable songs. Before her character transforms into a pop star not unlike her own persona at the beginning of her career, she pours her heart into genres we're not used to experience with her, and she's blazing. Cooper also deserves accolades for his singing and ease at portraying a musician. Too many actors have failed to do so without looking silly, but Cooper captures the details perfectly. It's how he walks through this world that sold me. You believe how he sits on a stool to perform without being able to see the crowd or hear anything above the mic feedback. You buy how he stumbles drunkenly across a hotel room floor. When he sings a song to Willam, your heart melts for this kind but troubled soul.
  
  Cooper also gets a wonderful supporting turn from Sam Elliot as his Manager/Brother, Jackson's resentful, shame-filled caretaker who, despite the constant turmoil, loves Jackson deeply. A simple of shot of Elliot driving away from Jackson's house, the car in reverse as he looks back with an entire history filling his teary eyes, took what could have been a nothing moment and makes it gut-wrenching. Andrew Dice Clay, as Ally's father, also delivers a world class performance, suggesting with great economy his own struggles with show biz dreams and his rage at Jackson despite an obvious fondness. His scenes with Lady Gaga bring out her feistiness and sweetness. David Chappelle, in a too brief role as Jackson's lifelong friend, brings such warmth and history to his part. I would have loved more. Rafi Gavron, in the impossible role as Ally's shark of a Manager, manages to find a caring person in there, despite some of the "this is just business" approach to his job. It's tricky and well-realized. The fact that he does something so unforgivable and never suffers the consequences rings so true, especially today, where deplorable behavior gets rewarded with, say, high positions within our government, as one example.
  
  Some of A STAR IS BORN feels a little choppy, especially in the second half, where it feels like many scenes fell by the wayside. Sequences lurch where they should build. It's a minor complaint, as some of the jumps work so effectively, none more so than when Jackson takes a corporate pharmaceutical gig and we cut to an abrupt shot of him smashing some pills with his boot and snorting them up wholesale.
  
  Cooper and his editor, Jay Cassidy (AMERICAN HUSTLE), cover up some of the story holes with an elliptical _b_style used, shocker of all shockers, in a lot of 70s films. I loved the edit when Jackson is just about to perform "Maybe It's Time" for the third time in the film, and instead we cut to a profile of Jackson as he watches a distorted silhouette of Ally practicing her choreography in the background. This film is filled with such visual language and count me very impressed. Without spoiling anything, this technique produces a stunner at the very end of the film, cutting away from an overpoweringly emotional Ally moment to something so simple and sublime, and then back to a beautiful closeup, all of which made me cry not only at the sadness on display but also at the sheer perfection of the filmmaking. One could easily walk away from A STAR IS BORN and say it's a film about addiction, or it's about artistic voices and integrity. All valid. I, however, will look back at this remarkable achievement and remember it as a moment where Hollywood took back its crown and put out a big, spanking movie movie.

• Halloween (R, 2018)

  - by macross2012

  Are you a fan of the Halloween movie series? If yes, then this is NOT the movie for you.
  This m... read moreovie really does NOT pick up after Halloween 1. The first 45 mins of the film they could have left out. It was boring and had no reason to be in the film.
  
  How do you have famous Michael Myers actors come back like Nick Castle and screw up such an easy role to play.
  
  When Michael was on his killing spree in the original Halloween, he was slow moving and had no expression at all. Today when he is in 40s or 50s, he seems to move so fast with lots of quick expressions. Wouldn't you slow down as you got older? It seems we have it backwards here.
  
  Jaime Lee Curtis's role was so bad and dull. A woman that has made a 30 year life_b_style of making a house that could withstand a war. She has 5 locks on her front door and also has a drop bar. It would take a tank to knock this down. However, she is so stupid to have a front door with glass windows in it that all you have to do is break the glass and unlock everything? Also for a woman who has spent her life preparing for battle with EVIL, she has guns that are so outdated, I think she bought them in the 1800's. I mean they are guns like revolvers and carvery rifles that every shot you take you have to cock the gun handle again. There is even a scene in the movie where she is given 3 thousand dollars to do an interview about Michael. Why didn't she take that money and buy a real rifle that was made in this century.
  
  Yes this movie made 77 million dollars opening weekend, but who the hell saw it? I went to a 3:45 showing on Saturday the 20th in a busy city, and there was no more then 10 people in the theater including me and my guest.
  
  This is truly a film that made this look like the best Halloween movie ever in the previews, but when it comes down to it, its a horrible horror film by any of today standards. Forget horror film, its a BAD film by any standards period. Will not be buying this movie on 4k when it comes out.
  
  Out of all the halloween movies, this has to be the bottom of the list. YES I know that's hard to say, but honestly it wasnt a movie. It SUCKED!