review

Reviews of the top geek movies, tv, and books in the industry.

Oscar Watch: 'Lady Bird' (2017)
I thought Lady Bird was going to be about old ladies. This is the purest review I can possibly write about a film because I went in with close to zero background on the film. I saw no previews, I didn’t read another review, I didn’t know who directed the film or who was staring in it. I wish it was possible to go into all movies I watch without seeing a trailer or hearing “what it’s about,” it’s the most pure way to watch. I won’t be able to write this kind of review when I finally get around to watching the The Shape of Water or Downsizing. Those films have been marketed to me non-stop. It is refreshing being able to write and think about a film in the way I get to for Lady Bird.
By Christopher Sarda8 years ago in Geeks
Classic Movie Review: 'Westworld'
Listeners to the Everyone is a CriticPodcast know that I have a strange relationship with Westerns. On more than one occasion I have spoken of not being a fan of the genre only to then end up praising movies like Open Range, Rio Bravo or, one of my all-time favorites, 3:10 to Yuma. This bizarre relationship to the Western has a lengthy and unique history.
By Sean Patrick8 years ago in Geeks
Movie Review: 'Pitch Perfect 3'
Low expectations are sometimes key to enjoying a particular kind of movie. For example, the third movie in a franchise that was only barely capable of supporting one sequel. The trailer for Pitch Perfect 3 turned out to be the perfect introduction to the supposed finale of the Pitch Perfect trilogy. The trailer was so bad that I expected the characters in the movie to walk on screen, fart, and give me the finger before walking off. That would have been only a slight improvement over that trailer.
By Sean Patrick8 years ago in Geeks
'Joyeux Noël': Finding the Spirit in Wartime
Hello, and welcome back to Second Chances where I give another well-deserved shot at the maligned, forgotten, and overlooked.
By Adam Wallace8 years ago in Geeks
Quickie Movie Review: 'The Greatest Showman'
"There's a sucker born every minute." American showman P.T. Barnum is said to have expressed this particularly greedy phrase at some point in his career, although there is no significant evidence to prove it. Even so, it isn't too difficult to imagine the man who spent his lifetime promoting fraudulent acts and exploiting his troupe of misfits as having uttered this once or twice.
By Cait C8 years ago in Geeks
Jeff Lemire's Stark, Beautiful World
Forlorn sons, lost fathers and phantasmal mothers are the lonely inhabitants of Jeff LeMire's island of a graphic novel The Underwater Welder. Lemire's created a story which encapsulates the massive turmoil and eruptive change that can all occur in a single microcosm: the individual human mind.
By Laura DiNovis Berry8 years ago in Geeks
Movie Review: 'Molly's Game'
Can one scene demonstrate why Aaron Sorkin’s directorial debut, Molly’s Game starring Jessica Chastain falls flat? Probably not, but in this article I am going to demonstrate how one scene can shed light on the Aaron Sorkin style, why Idris Elba is not really an Aaron Sorkin kind of actor and just who is the Aaron Sorkin style of actor; here’s a hint, they were on The West Wing.
By Sean Patrick8 years ago in Geeks
'Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom'
Here's an old film which had high expectations. The Indiana Jones films are iconic for their lighthearted situations and give an overall feeling of adventure to the audience. Especially after the 1981 film, Raiders of the Lost Ark, did so well among viewers, Temple of Doom was expected to be just as good. It concerns me that Temple of Doom is considered the sequal of the Raiders. However, it takes place two years before the events in Raiders of the Lost Ark take place.
By Desmo Critic8 years ago in Geeks
Movie Review: 'Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle'
I was not a fan of the noisy, roiling cacophony of special effects and sound that was Jumanji. Director Joe Johnson seemed to throw everything but the kitchen sink at the screen while Robin Williams whooped and hollered and obvious metaphors about family and fathers and sons occasionally forced their way through the chaos. Jumanji 1995 isn’t a terrible movie, but it just wasn’t my taste.
By Sean Patrick8 years ago in Geeks
Oscar Watch: 'Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri'
The essay contains many plot spoilers and should be read after watching Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri. A single action sparks the events in the small town of Ebbing, Missouri. The actors in the film all emote an underlying pain despite the film taking some comedic liberties. As is common with most films based in the south, racism has its place and is rooted in the character of the town. The main characters are all very conflicted. Every character has elements that are admirable and other elements that are clearly meant to be abhorred. No one is the good guy in Ebbing Missouri.
By Christopher Sarda8 years ago in Geeks
Movie Review: 'Father Figures'
Was there a gun to someone’s head forcing them to make the movie Father Figures? I am struggling to understand how this movie exists. Father Figures stars Ed Helms and Owen Wilson as twins, we’ll get to that, who go on a road trip to visit men who may or may not be their biological father. The film seems to have been slapped together without much thought or care or with any semblance of humor.
By Sean Patrick8 years ago in Geeks
Movie Review: 'The Greatest Showman'
The Greatest Showman is a musical with some inventive visuals and mostly brainless story. Were it not purporting to conflate P.T Barnum of all people to sainthood, I could probably watch it and dispose of it in due course. However, because this is P.T Barnum, one of the world’s foremost charlatans and con men, well, let’s just say that the idea of venerating him, sticks in my craw. Already this year, Hollywood has pretended that Winston Churchill was an inspiring, cuddly granddad and frankly, P.T Barnum is, for me, a bridge too far when it comes to revisionism.
By Sean Patrick8 years ago in Geeks