If you’re like me, you’re tired of professional movie critics using pseudo-intellectualism and art nonsense to give good reviews to their drinking buddies. You just want to know if the movie is entertaining and well made. That’s where I come in. I’m a professional movie review contrarian. I just give you my honest analysis. Take it or leave it.
‘The Rise of Jordan Peterson‘ is a 2019 documentary directed by Patricia Marcoccia which follows the clinical psychologist and professor Jordan Peterson, the writing of his books, his stand against proposed Canadian law Bill C-16, and subsequent rise to fame. It was produced by Holding Space Films and released by Gravitas Ventures. The film starts with…
Based on a series of novels by Irish author Eoin Colfer, ‘Artemis Fowl‘ is a Disney science fiction fantasy streaming exclusively to DisneyPlus. It is directed by Kenneth Branagh with a screenplay from Conor McPherson and Hamish McColl. I have never read the novels, so I will not be comparing them in this review. Irish…
‘Revenge Ride‘ is an independent horror-revenge film from SSS Entertainment that harkens back to the motorcycle action film genre. It is directed by Melanie Aitkenhead and written by Timothy Durham. Maggie (Serinda Swan) is a member of the all-female motorcycle gang Dark Moons led by the vengeful Trigga (Pollyanna McIntosh). All of the members have…
Based on the Elseworld comic book by Mark Millar from DC Comics, ‘Superman: Red Son’ is directed by Sam Liu and gives an alternate take on the Man of Steel who landed in the Soviet Union instead of Smallville, Kansas. Superman (Jason Isaacs) rises to power, becoming a propaganda tool for the Soviet Union. Lex…
Based on the Valiant Comics series of the same name, ‘Bloodshot‘ is directed by David S. F. Wilson in his feature film debut. It was released through Sony based on a screenplay by Jeff Wadlow and Eric Heisserer. After watching his wife Gina (Talulah Riley) get killed by a villain named Marcus Tibbs (Alex Hernandez),…
‘John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum‘ is the third film in the John Wick franchise directed by Chad Stahelski and released via Lionsgate in 2019. It continues the neo-noir thriller and action themes from its predecessors. Set an hour after the second film, John Wick (Keanu Reeves) is on the run from the Company and…
Released by Amicus Productions, “Asylum” also known as “House of Crazies,” is a horror anthology film directed by Roy Ward Baker and released in 1972. It was produced by Milton Subotsky and written by Robert Bloch, a popular horror writer at the time. Dr. Martin (Robert Powell) arrives as an asylum for the “incurably insane.”…
Released on Netflix, The Night Clerk is a crime thriller directed by Michael Cristofer from Saban Films. The movie explores the life of a young boy who suffers from mental health issues who is a suspect in a serious crime. Bart Bromley (Tye Sheridan) is a young man who suffers from Asperger’s syndrome and lives…
‘Roped‘ is a rodeo romance directed by Shaun Paul Piccinino based on a screenplay written by John Ducey. The film was made by ESX Entertainment and Forrest Films. It has this very interesting tagline: “Love is worth the risk.” Cowboy Colton Burtenshaw (Josh Swickard) and the rodeo he’s with rolls into the small progressive town…
Blumhouse Production originally planned on releasing The Hunt in 2019, but after some controversy following the trailer, it was delayed to 2020. It is directed by Craig Zobel and satirizes the left versus right political banter. Afghan war veteran Crystal (Betty Gilpin) wakes up with several other “regular people” in a clearing with gags in…
‘The Reliant‘ is a faith-based survival film directed by Paul Munger based on a screenplay by writer and producer J.P. Johnston. It was made by Fervent House Media and released by Studio City Pictures. During economic unrest, father Rick (Kevin Sorbo) and his wife Liz (Julia Denton) want to evacuate their children Jimmy (Blake Burt), Anna…
Directed by Travis Knight and written by Christina Hodson, ‘Bumblebee’ is a reboot of the Transformers franchise which covers the Autobots’ arrival to Earth and the infiltration of the Decepticons. The movie was released through Paramount Pictures and produced by Michael Bay, who directed the previous films. Optimus Prime (Peter Cullen), leader of the Autobots…
From Universal Pictures and Blumhouse Productions comes ‘The Invisible Man,’ a new horror film written and directed by Leigh Whannell that uses the premise and title of the H.G. Wells novel of the same name. Cecilia “Cee” Kass (Elizabeth Moss) escapes from her abusive scientist husband Adrian Griffin (Oliver Jackson-Cohen) with the help of her…
‘The Rainmaker’ is a 1997 film directed by Francis Ford Coppola who also wrote the screenplay based on the fictional legal thriller of the same name by John Grisham. Though it was released by Paramount Pictures, it was produced by American Zoetrope and Constellation Films. Rudy Baylor (Matt Damon) is a young law student who…
‘The Wrong Missy‘ is a Netflix comedy film from Happy Madison Productions directed by Tyler Spindel based on a screenplay by Kevin Barnett and Chris Pappas. Tim Morris (David Spade) has a disastrous date with Melissa “Missy” (Lauren Lapkus), who is extremely weird and boisterous, almost causing Tim to get beat up by WWE wrestler…
‘Sherlock: A Case Of Evil’ is a different take on the classic character created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The TV movie was released in America on the USA Network and is currently owned by Multicom Entertainment Group. A young consulting detective named Sherlock Holmes (James D’Arcy) is approached by a woman named Rebecca Doyle…
Based on a screenplay by Michael Alan Lerner and Oren Moverman, Love & Mercy is a biopic about The Beach Boys co-founder Brian Wilson and his struggle with mental illness. It is directed by Bill Pohlad and distributed by Lionsgate and Roadside Attractions. The film alternates between young Brian Wilson (Paul Dano) finishing Pet Sounds…
‘The Stand at Paxton County‘ is an indie thriller directed by Brett Hedlund. It is produced by ESX Productions and Forrest Films, based on a screenplay by David Michael O’Neill and Carl Morris. It was released widely by Netflix. Surgeon and Army Captain Janna Connelly (Jacqueline Toboni) is called away from the frontlines of Afghanistan…
The fifteenth and final entry into the DC Animated Movie Universe (DCAMU) is ‘Justice League Dark: Apokolips War,’ directed by Matt Peters and Christina Sotta. It is based on the DC Comics New 52 timeline and released through Warner Bros. Animation. John Constantine (Matt Ryan) and Zatanna (Camilla Luddington) have joined the Justice League, though the…
Based on the children’s book by Lois Lowry, ‘The Willoughbys‘ is a computer-animated children’s’ movie directed by Kris Pearn, who also co-wrote the screenplay with Mark Stanleigh. The film was made by Bron Animation and released widely on Netflix. Narrated by a neighborhood Cat (Ricky Gervais), he tells the story of the Willoughbys. Their family…
The 14th installment of the DC Animated Movie Universe is ‘Wonder Woman: Bloodlines,’ a Warner Bros. Animation feature directed by Sam Liu and Justin Copeland. We open on a retelling of how Diana (Rosario Dawson) met Steve Trevor (Jeffrey Donovan), this time Trevor crashes on Amazon Island after being attacked by Parademons. He warns the…
Known in Japan as ‘Eien to jidou shuki ningyou’ and directed by Haruka Fujita and Taichi Ishidate, ‘Violet Evergarden: Eternity and the Auto Memory Doll‘ is a spin-off from the anime television series Violet Evergarden. The movie premiered at the AnimagiC 2019 convention in Germany and was released widely in Japan in September 2019. SDI…
Directed by Michael Dowse, ‘Coffee And Kareem’ is an alleged action-comedy that takes the buddy cop genre and tries to put a new spin on it. James Coffee (Ed Helms) is a bumbling Detroit cop who is dating a single-mother nurse named Vanessa Manning (Taraji P. Henson). When her son Kareem (Terrence Little Gardenhigh) spots…
‘Hobbs & Shaw‘ is the first spin-off from the ‘Fast And Furious’ franchise directed by David Leitch. It was released in 2019 by Universal Pictures based on a screenplay by Chris Morgan and Drew Pearce. MI6 Agent Hattie Shaw’s (Vanessa Kirby) team is wiped out by Brixton (Idris Elba), a cybernetically-enhanced assassin. To stop him…
Directed by Patrice Laliberté, this French-Canadian thriller ‘The Decline‘ is made by Couronne Nord and distributed through Netflix. It had its premiere at the Rendez-vous Québec Cinéma film festival under its original title ‘Jusqu’au déclin.’ There are some minor spoilers in this review. Antoine (Guillaume Laurin) is a wannabe survivalist living in rural Quebec. He…
