"The Glass Castle" Movie Review

by John Zenoni

“The Glass Castle” is a well made film that features great performances by Naomi Watts, Brie Larson and particularly that of Woody Harrelson. It is hard to believe that this is the same actor who played Woody on the tv series, ‘Cheers.’ Very few comedic actors can successfully pull off serious roles but he has more than proven himself, especially in this past year alone. Not only is he great in this film but he is superb in the indie ‘art’ film “Three Billboards...”. This is an entertaining film that tells the true story of a woman whose parents lived less than conventional lives, always moving after a few months when the dad loses his job or is on a hunt for another adventure. It is a hard to watch film at times because of what the kids in the family go through but it is a great story of how someone can overcome adversity and make something of themselves.

I Can't Imagine Anyone Delivering a Better Performance This Year Than Gary Oldman's in "Darkest Hour"

by John Z.

If you want to see a film just for an outstanding performance alone, then you do not want to miss “Darkest Hour” with Gary Oldman. Holy cow! He deserves every single accolade that is being heaped on him for his acting! Amazing is the only way to describe it. Yes, the makeup job is great and makes you think he looks like Winston Churchill but he totally immerses himself into the role and his portrayal is spot on. But at the same time, you cannot dismiss the other performances as they are also good, while secondary to Gary Oldman. The film also is outstanding and keeps you interested the entire time. They may as well go ahead and give Gary Oldman the Oscar now as I cannot imagine anyone giving a better performance this year. It is also one for the history books!

"American Assassin" Offers Predictable, 'B' Movie Action

by John Zenoni

Finished watching “American Assassins” last night and must say it was not as good as I expected! It was not horrible by any means, it was just not a great action film. It was a little long in parts, somewhat predictable and I did not believe the ending at all. Definitely a ‘B’ film...

A Micro Review of "Bright"

Bright is only second to The Battle of the Five Armies as a damn good movie involving a magic wand and has Harry Potter beat by a mile. You know how Game of Thrones takes place in a medieval world populated by humans, giants, dragons, zombies and witches? Bright is like a modern-day version of Thrones -- except all of the Black people aren't slaves. And there's also a good bit of corrupt cops, gangbangers and elves. Keep your eyes peeled for the centaur and dragon too. Netflix spent $100 million putting this flick together and you can tell by looking. It was money well-spent.

Tempi's Micro Review of "The Last Word"

by Tempi Duffey

The Last Word mirrored The Butterfly Effect and Magnolia. However, it told the story four times over -- on a smaller scale. There's Harriett, a retired executive and octogenarian looking for a life, while her daughter desperately searches  for the confidence that her mother has in spades; Anne, an obituary writer looking for confidence and a purpose in life; and Brenda, a little girl looking for confidence without understanding that she's already in control. 

In the end, Harriet controls her own destiny and her obituary reads nicely; Anne begins to live her life and takes control with confidence; Brenda takes a risk and becomes awesome; and Dane, the owner of the local paper that employs Anne, finds hope, I guess. 

I liked the movie. It's fun, easy to follow and not slow at all.

"The Fifth Element" Celebrates its 20 Year Anniversary

by Tempi Duffey

I just watched “The Fifth Element” for probably the 30^th time in the over 20 years since its release and was just as entertained throughout the entire movie as if it were the first time.  The movie reveals the pettiness of cheap flamboyance, the overwhelming ugliness of greed, the deeply-seated detriments of war, and the costs of judgmental, pompous and passive traits in the people of the world.  Of course, the answer is love, loyalty, belief and courage, but it is portrayed in a manner that reaches out and reels everyone in because it represents us all in so many ways it can’t miss. 

“The Fifth Element” delivers a very strong message in a manner capable of clear reception by all people of the world.  It presents an interesting, multi-faceted and meaningful story that will stick with you, with a great tempo, action, adventure, diversity, danger, love, humor and creed with crisp color, near-perfect cinematography and an excellent cast.  All the while it communicates with caress that while life is bigger than us, life as our collective state of being is all of us.  We create the world we live in with every thought, action and intention and we are accountable for it. "The Fifth Element" is “Perfect”, and I’m looking forward to the next viewing.

"Creed" is Ready for Round 2

Good news, Rocky fans. Creed, which is probably the best of the series and unquestionably brought the franchise back from the dead, is getting a sequel. The Creed follow-up, Rocky 8 if you're counting, is scheduled to hit theaters November 2018 -- just in time for Thanksgiving. 

In case you still haven't seen the first Creed, it features the son (Adonis Creed) of Rocky Balboa's rival-turned-friend, Apollo, and his struggle to come to terms with living in his legendary father's shadow while pursuing a professional boxing career. Adonis' pops died in the ring in Rocky IV -- the one in which the "Italian Stallion" fought the roided-up Russian. And guess what? That very same Russian, who delivered the fatal punches to Apollo, will appear in Creed 2. Yep, Ivan Drago is making a return to the Rocky series. 

January 2018 Movie Trailers

2018 kicks off with Thor kicking off the War on Terror and Taraji P. Henson seriously bustin' on people for the first time since Smokin' Aces.






January 5

Insidious: The Last Key

January 12


Proud Mary

The Commuter

Humor Me

January 18


Mary and the Witch's Flower

January 19


12 Strong

The Leisure Seeker

January 26

Maze Runner: The Death Cure

Forever My Girl

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"The Foreigner" Movie Review

If you want to see a great action film then do not miss ‘The Foreigner’ with Jackie Chan and Pierce Brosnan. This is a non-stop thriller that keeps your interest the entire time. I have to confess to never having seen any of Jackie Chan’s films so this was an introduction to him and I have to say I was quite impressed. He did a great job of portraying a grieving father and man set on revenge. Pierce Brosnan also did a great job in his role and I won’t say too much about his character so as to not give anything away. The suspense was intense and storyline kept you not wanting to look away for fear of missing one thing happening during the film. That is what makes a good movie and you won’t be disappointed with this one!

- John Z.

December 2017 Movie Trailers

You know what December means -- it's Star Wars time.  Once again, thousands of people in costume will make their way to a theater near you. The Force Awakens made $2 billion so the sequel is guaranteed to be a hit. Fans of Awakens will finally get to see what happens to Finn, Rey and Luke Skywalker next. But last year's Rogue One raised the bar for Star Wars movies so hopefully, the people behind The Last Jedi took notes. Oh year, a bunch of movies that have nothing to do with space will debut this month too.




December 1


The Disaster Artist

Wonder Wheel

December 8


All the Money in the World

The Shape of Water

This summer's The Mummy was intended to usher in a classic monster movie cinematic universe to include the least compelling classic monster -- the Creature from the Black Lagoon. Unfortunately, The Mummy sucked zombie nuts. But The Shape of Water seems to be a pretty promising story about a Creature from the Black Lagoon-type...monster.














I, Tonya

December 15


The Last Jedi

Hopefully, the folks at Lucasfilm have exorcised their campy streaks and are ready to get down to serious business. If the Force is with us, the second installment of this trilogy will be closer to The Empire Strikes Back than Attack of the Clones -- a lot closer.













Gotti

Ferdinand

December 22


Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle

Hostiles

Downsizing

Bright

Pitch Perfect 3

Father Figures

December 25


The Greatest Showman

Molly's Game

Phantom Thread

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November 2017 Movie Trailers





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September 2017 Movie Trailers

"American Made" Marks a Great Return to Form for Tom Cruise

DEA informant Barry Seal

This is not only a great film but it also gives Tom Cruise the opportunity to give one of his best performances in a very long time. At first I thought the narration might be somewhat annoying (as someone else I know who saw it found it to be) but it really wasn’t. In fact, I found it helpful and pivotal to understanding certain key parts of the movie. I remembered some of the stuff referenced in the movie but not all of it and the narration helped explain quite a few things. 

The movie was engaging and very entertaining. All of the other actors in the film were good but this was definitely a Tom Cruise film all the way. I thought he was great in ‘The Mummy’ (2017 version!) as well but know that people just did not take to it as expected so I feel that this feel is definitely a chance for him to ‘redeem’ himself. 

This one has action, humor and even some tense moments but it is a well made film. A great return for Mr. Cruise...

- John Z.

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"The Mummy" Movie Review

"A Ghost Story" Movie Review

Well, I have just fallen in love with what many would consider to be an odd, weird, and hard to understand film called "A Ghost Story." I had read about the concept of Casey Affleck walking around with a sheet over him as a ghostly figure pretty much the entire film and thought that is not going to work. But in my opinion, it really does! 

The movie opens with Casey Affleck and his wife, played by Rooney Mara, living in their home in a rural area and just going day by day. Unfortunately at some point in the film there is an accident and Casey Affleck's character is identified in the morgue as the victim. The pivotal point in my opinion - and a truly scary scene - is after she identifies him and leaves. The next thing you know, Affleck's character rises up from the slab - sheet covering him - and he 'goes back home' to comfort his wife. This is where it is emotional and hard at times to watch because obviously she mourns as he watches but no interaction takes place. To make things more complex, she does eventually move on, but not before writing and leaving a note hidden in one of the columns in the house. This is one thing that Affleck constantly tries to get to and he does but I will not reveal anymore as that would give away too much. 

I will admit that this is sometimes hard to follow, as Affleck's character seems to be on a 'loop' of sorts and people might not get it but I do. I found this film to be very original and inspired which is not what you find a lot of in films today. If you want to watch a movie that makes you think about many things, this is one for you.

- John Z.

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"My Cousin Rachel" Movie Review

"My Cousin Rachel" is an excellent period piece that completely catches you off guard with its ending. I normally do not tend to favor these types of films but I gave it a try and I am so glad I did. The storyline is the following:

"Philip is a young Englishman who finds his cousin Ambrose dead after traveling to Florence, Italy. He vows revenge against Ambrose's missing wife Rachel, blaming her for his untimely demise. When Philip meets Rachel for the first time, his mood suddenly changes as he finds himself falling for her seductive charm and beauty. As his obsession for her grows, Rachel now hatches a scheme to win back her late husband's estate from the unsuspecting Philip."

Philip, played by Sam Claflin, does a great job but the most intriguing character is that of Rachel, played by the beautiful and captivating Rachel Weisz. She is fantastic and you are sympathetic toward her in the beginning but then things being to change and you wonder what her real motives are. Then, just as you begin to think you have it figured our, a twist comes that completely catches you off guard! 

The movie is very well made and while there are just a few slow spots, overall it keeps your attention and makes you keep watching so you see what happens at the end. Well done...

- John Z.

Who's Gonna Win Big at the 2017 Emmys?

The 69th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards will be held tomorrow night. In case you haven't been watching, the quality of television (reality shows aside) programming has skyrocketed in recent years. Not all of the best that tv has to offer will be represented but some damned good creative-types may be honored for their productions. What are your picks for the year's best? Mine (for a few of the categories) are in red.




Best Drama Series

Westworld

This Is Us

Stranger Things

Better Call Saul

The chances that a Breaking Bad prequel would actually be good were incredibly low but Better Call Saul's gotten better with each season. Heisenberg would be proud.

The Handmaid's Tale

The Crown

House of Cards





Best Comedy Series

Silicon Valley

Black-ish

Atlanta

Modern Family

Master of None

Veep

Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt





Best Limited Series

Genius 

Fargo

Feud: Bette and Joan

Big Little Lies

The Night Of





Best Documentary or Non-Fiction Series

American Masters

Planet Earth II

30 for 30

ESPN's documentary series has shown time and again that you don't even have to like sports to be a fan of these peaks beyond the field/court/ring/pitch.

The Keepers

Chef's Table





Best Documentary or Nonfiction Special

L.A. Burning: The Riots 25 Years Later

A House Divided

13th

Amanda Knox





Best Television Movie

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks

Sherlock: The Lying Detective

The Wizard of Lies

Dolly Parton's Christmas of Many Colors: Circle of Love

Black Mirror





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