The House With a Clock In Its Walls

Time waits for no man, or house. Upon the death of his parents, young Lewis Barnavelt (Owen Vacarro) is taken in by his uncle, Jonathan (Jack Black). Jonathan lives in a sprawling mansion with his old friend in Florence (Cate Blanchett). There’s something about this house. Inanimate objects move, and, there’s a frequent ticking sound […]

The Wife (2017)

What’s written on the page rarely tells the entire story. For forty years, Joan Castleman (Glenn Close) has been the epitome of support, holding the family down and doing the nitty gritty while her writing husband, Joe (Jonathan Pryce) crafts a living as a world-renowned author. The “genius” Joe isn’t easy to spend time with, […]

White Boy Rick

Sell them funky drugs, white boy. When in poverty, whatever needs to be done gets done to improve daily life. When in poverty, whatever needs to be done gets done to improve daily life. The Wersche family, a combination of uneducated and dysfunctional, is in deep poverty in the pressure cooker of Detroit. Mother Wersche […]

Peppermint (2018)

If justice isn’t given, you take it. Riley North (Jennifer Garner) is as mild-mannered as they come. Save for the occasional sharp-tongued comment that’s only done to protect her daughter, Carly (Cailey Fleming) from those dastardly PTA moms, Riley is sweet. Her work is basic as a financial bank manager, and her husband, Chris (Jeff […]

Kin

Fortnite could totally use this weapon. Fourteen-year-old Elijah (Myles Truitt) has never really known a normal life. He was adopted at six months old by Hal Solinski (Dennis Quaid), who has done his best to provide a fatherly influence. His adopted mother passed away some years ago, with the void still felt. Another void in […]

Movie Man Jackson looks at: 2018 Music in Movies (Part 2)

Music produces a kind of pleasure which human nature cannot do without. Part 2 of the yearly Music in Movies series continues. If you missed part 1, you can find that here. Let’s do it. Tomb Raider (composed by Junkie XL) The Bag The Devil’s Sea Never Give Up Mad Max: Fury Road like? Not […]

Crazy Rich Asians

Someone cannot be made into something they’re not. Rachel Chu (Constance Wu) is not a millionaire. But, she is a self-sufficient Chinese-American, growing up in the US when her mother left China for a fresh start. In the process she’s become the youngest professor in NYU’s history, teaching game theory. In between it all, she’s […]

What to Watch: Descending the Rungs in Jacob’s Ladder (1990)

With the speed and sometimes reckless abandon Hollywood typically cranks out remakes at, it is a significant surprise that it has taken roughly 29 years for the Adrian Lyne directed Jacob’s Ladder to get a treatment for the 21st century. That treatment is coming February 2019, which makes it a good time in the interim […]

Mile 22

I wouldn’t want to walk a mile in these peoples’ shoes. When situations call for it, the CIA deploys their best of the best task force to dispose of them. This force is led by one paramilitary operative James Silva (Mark Wahlberg), an individual with the jagged psyche that allows him to only focus on […]

BlacKkKlansman

All power…to all people. Ron Stallworth (John David Washington) has wanted to be in law enforcement ever since being a youngster. In 1979, he answers the call of the Colorado Springs Police Department and becomes the new rookie donning the blues. He becomes a Jackie Robinson figure of sorts; the only black detective in the entire […]