Doc Rotten joins Dave Dreher to review Annabelle: Creation (2017) the fourth in a series of films establishing The Conjuring Universe. The film is directed by David F. Sandberg and features Stephanie Sigman, Miranda Otto, Anthony LaPaglia, Lulu Wilson, Talitha Bateman, Kerry O’Malley, Philippa Coulthard, Grace Fulton, and Samara Lee. Much like Ouija: Origin of […]
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Without a doubt, Luc Besson knows how to make a lavish, astonishing, cinematic big screen event films but continues to struggle to connect with the characters and hitting key emotional beats within the story being told. Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets excels at being visually striking and exciting, rousing eye candy full […]
Apes. Continue. Strong. Nearly 50 years after Charlton Heston cursed humanity on a beach, the Planet of the Apes franchise is still going strong. Those original five films managed to combine a maddening sci-fi twist with biting social commentary. They covered everything from race to religious idolatry to celebrity culture. Then after that Tim Burton […]
Success! This is it, the film Spider-Man has always needed. Spider-Man: Homecoming fully realizes the full potential of the character steeped in Marvel mythology, quirky, and innocent. Marvel and Sony have joined forces to firmly establish Spider-Man into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. This is the Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man of the Spider-Man movies where […]
After returning to the Alien franchise with 2012’s Prometheus, director Ridley Scott has even more baggage. Not only the weight of his successful start & James Cameron’s initial sequel, but the massive disappointment of the entries that followed and divisive reception of his own return. With Alien Covenant, the question on everyone’s mind is would […]
Colossal really isn’t a film for mainstream audiences. Despite a cast that includes pretty big stars and giant monsters, the premise is rather strange and the tone is far darker than advertising would let on. Director Nacho Vigalondo (Timecrimes, Open Windows) takes the concepts of a massive kaiju and applies it to these more human […]
Personal Shopper is many things. An arthouse film. A showcase for our lead actress. It’s even more than a bit spooky in places. Yet, there’s little to show where exactly it fits in terms of genre. The best context for horror fans would probably be more of a gothic thriller. One where there is most […]
Yes, a Bond villain is exactly what the Fast and the Furious franchise needs at this moment. For the eights film in the series, The Fate of the Furious, Dom, Hobbs, Letty and the rest are ushered into overdrive, director F. Gary Gary and writer Chris Morgan bring in Mad Max‘s Furiousa to spice things […]
Everything about Life (2017) – the synopsis, the trailer, the poster, and the promotions – make the film out to be a second cousin to the Alien franchise. The film sets up a cast of six astronauts on the International Space Station investigating rock samples from Mars and discovering the first proof of alien life […]
Before they even walk in the door and the credits for The Belko Experiment can roll, the employees of Belko Industries know it’s not going to be a normal workday at their remote Colombian headquarters. Not only are there heavily armed guards checking every car entering the parking lot for explosives and contraband, but more […]
The summer movie arrives early! Kong: Skull Island features a version of the furry king that literally towers above its predecessors, nearly one hundred foot tall. The film looms as large as the King in its scope, ferocity, and action. This is a monster movie in every aspect. It never pretends to be more than […]
One of the things I truly hate about film trailers is the tendency to label the director “Visionary”. The trailers for A Cure For Wellness start off with the sentence “From Visionary Director Gore Verbinski”. Mr. Verbinski has directed some fine films indeed, but it seems that for every great film he’s made, he’s […]
While The Great Wall is often visually stunning, colorful, and entertaining, the film is often dull, drab, and forgettable. It is a mixed bag with great shots of action, set design, and costuming offset by a horribly miscast performance from the film’s lead Matt Damon. The director, Yimou Zhang, is well known and respected for […]
The idea of a highly anticipated LEGO movie seemed so odd a few years ago. The immediate cynicism that comes with making a film based on a toy plagued 2014’s The LEGO Movie pretty harshly. Then it came out… and was one of the more celebrated and successful films in recent cinematic history. A key […]
High expectations can be a deadly element to carry into any film, especially a sequel to a surprising, unexpectedly successful film such as John Wick (2014). The sequel, which continues the adventures of its titular character, has a tough hurdle to overcome. Thankfully, John Wick Chapter 2 far exceeds any expectations with a fast-paced, surprisingly […]