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“Anything and everything is possible on Fantasy Island.” That’s what the overseer of the island, Mr. Roarke (Michael Peña) says, anyway. The island is purported to have mystical powers, the type of powers that can make a fantasy real. Five individuals are about to find out for themselves: stepbrothers Bradley (Ryan Hansen) and Brax (Jimmy […]
Read More Fantasy Island (2020)“Every day is all we have.” That’s the mantra that Pete (Will Ferrell) has adopted from his late father. It’s been less than a year since his father’s passing, and it’s something he’s not fully over. He hopes this trip to the Alps with wife, Billie (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) along with two sons Emerson and Finn […]
Read More Downhill (2020)TPS reports? Not quite, but the work that assistant Jane (Julia Garner) does is soul-crushing monotonous. Her responsibilities working at this big movie production company include—but are not limited to—dealing with angry customers, fetching food, and keeping the place organized. Was it mentioned that she’s barely getting paid, and working seven days a week? It’s […]
Read More The Assistant (2019)Natural disasters tend to bring the worst out of people. For Tomas (Johannes Kuhnke), he’s enjoying a beautiful five-day vacation getaway with his family; wife Ebba (Lisa Loven Kongsli), daughter Vera (Clara Wettergren), and son Henry (Vincent Wettergren). What to do when in the gorgeous French Alps? Ski, to the heart’s content. While taking in […]
Read More Force Majeure (2014)“I am alone, and nobody can fix it.” That’s a statement Bernadette (Alfre Woodard) Williams expresses when spending time with her husband, Jonathan (Wendell Pierce). As a prison warden who administers lethal injections, she’s long ruled her work domain with an iron glove, impervious to everything and everyone. There’s no doubt that Bernadette is amazing […]
Read More Clemency (2019)The Bad Boys from Miami are no longer boys. They are men, and according to Marcus (Martin Lawrence), it has long been time he and best friend/partner Mike (Will Smith) start acting as such. Marcus is a new grandfather and is finally putting in his retirement papers. For the eternally young Mike, capping bad guys […]
Read More Bad Boys for LifeWhat’s worse, being stranded in space or Underwater? The argument can be made that at least space is visible. On a scientific expedition many leagues under the sea, a rig gets hit hard with an anomaly, making the ship unusable and unsafe for living. Evacuation is an obvious must, though all routes to escape are […]
Read More Underwater (2020)Is it possible to really understand someone else’s delusions? Doctor Alan Stone (Richard Gere) believes it’s possible. He simply wants to make a difference. So much so, that he’s left his Psychology professor teaching post to provide good-natured assistance to Ypsilanti, Michigan State Mental Hospital; specifically, to those who suffer from paranoid schizophrenia. Immediately, he […]
Read More Three ChristsAs we fully immerse ourselves into a new decade (or not, depending on what side of the “Team 0” versus “Team 1” debate one may fall on—Team 0 for yours truly), hope springs eternal. No matter how many downs or valleys we may have had, the prospect of starting with a fresh slate in all […]
Read More Five Directors Who Could Use a Reversal of Fortune in the 2020’sWhen’s the last time you got mad at a YouTube video because the sound got removed from the visuals? Chances are, you probably ceased watching immediately after it was clear what was going on. Sound with no picture can be liberating and imagination-provoking, but a picture with no sound is good at best. The great George […]
Read More Making Waves: The Art of Cinematic Sound