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Showing posts from April, 2022

Deep Water - Movie Review

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Deep Water - Movie Review Critics Score - 4 of 10 General Audience Score - 6 of 10 Back in the late 80’s and early 90’s, the term erotic thriller was introduced into the world of cinema. Fatal Attraction, Basic Instinct and at least fifteen Michael Douglas films brought in the audiences as viewers wanted sexy actors and actresses showing some skin combined with stylized filmmaking. But demand fell off and we only get a few of these films that would fall into this sub-genre these days. In steps Adrian Lyne with his latest film to try and revive the sex-fueled melodrama, debuting recently on Hulu is Deep Water. While the film’s tone and aesthetics work well, so many other aspects of the movie fall short. Ana De Armas plays the horny housewife well but Ben Affleck’s acting, while fine through the first act, turns into a one note performance by the end. Deep Water tries, as Justin Timberlake would say, “bringing sexy back. Them other boys don’t know how to act.” I bet Ben was one of them b

Scream (2022) - Movie Review

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Scream (2022) - Movie Review Critics Score - 4 of 10 General Audience Score - 7 of 10 For those of us that grew up in the 1990’s, the Scream phenomenon sparked an almost immediate change, it proved that audiences wanted new takes on the age old genre. I Know What You Did Last Summer and Final Destination followed as new audiences began steering away from the genre’s tropes that the Halloween and Friday The 13th franchises had made bank on. But the original Scream had unmasked things about the horror genre that no film had before. It deconstructed a slasher film, certainly in some meta ways but also in an extremely intelligent way through it’s characters and dialogue. The Scream franchise has been trying to a capture the same level of intellectual twists and surprises ever since that first film dropped in 1996, but it’s never quite succeeded. The new Scream (2022), not to be confused with Scream 5, tries to go back down the rabbit hole with Sidney Prescott, Gale Weathers, Dewey Riley an

Sonic 2 - Movie Review

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Sonic 2 - Movie Review Critics Score - 6 of 10 General Audience Score - 7 of 10 Kids Score - 8 of 10 Anybody remember what the second highest grossing film of the 2020 year was? It was actually 1917 but third place went to Sonic The Hedgehog as it made it's bankroll before COVID-19 took a wrecking ball to the box office. Kids were delighted to watch a fast-talking Sonic throw out goofy one liners and parents were taken back to the 1990’s with the wildly outrageous version of Jim Carrey they grew up loving. Sonic 2 spins into theatres and takes the top off the box office it’s first weekend, with kids of all ages ready for another go round of blue mischief. Although the sequel isn’t nearly as inspired, especially in its humor, as the original film, there’s still a good time to be had, especially for the younger audiences. While parents will forget all about the film upon exiting the theater, kids will be bouncing off the walls, partially from all the bagged sugar they sell in theater

FRESH - Movie Review

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FRESH - Movie Review Critics Score - 8 of 10 General Audience Score - 8 of 10 I love films that push the envelope in exploring ideas and topics that most will shy away from. Take the IFC film Swallow, Denis Villenueva’s under appreciated Prisoners or the DiCaprio mind bending Shudder Island. These films explore the mental side of suspense and terror, with less physical danger and more mental uncomfortableness. They do to you mind what running your nails across a chalkboard does to your ears. In the vein of psychological thrillers, the latest film from Fox Searchlight is currently available to stream on Hulu, it is FRESH. This film effectively pulls the viewer in, sucking us into it’s wicked, wild ride of twists and turns, each reveal pushing us further into discomfort with it’s constitution challenging sequences. Without dropping spoilers or even the general premise of the film, this one is not for the faint of heart. But even if you’re not in the mood for the main course that FRESH is

The Adam Project - Movie Review

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The Adam Project - Movie Review Critics Score - 7 of 10 General Audience Score - 7 of 10 Ryan Reynolds rockets onto Netflix in one of the streaming service’s latest exclusive films that takes us on an adventure into the world of time travel. Reynolds is a bankable name in the world of cinema, his voiceover work in Detective Pikachu helped that film clear over $430 million dollars worldwide, with no other actors of note among the cast. Girls show up for the looks and the bod, guys come for the sarcasm and laughs. While Reynold’s humor is an acquired taste for some, for those of us that have trained our palette to enjoy it, there’s a hearty meal waiting for you here. Unless Reynolds isn’t your type or you really don’t jive with his wit and humor, The Adam Project may prove to be one science project you might actually look forward to. SYNOPSIS - This twist on Back To The Future begins in 2050 with Adam (Ryan Reynolds) escaping earth’s atmosphere in a spacecraft akin to the Avengers jet wh