Focus on Film & Television Reviews and writings about these subjects. As well as Pop Culture at times. With a bit of an edge and some color
Directed By: Adam Wingard
Written By: Simon Barrett
Cinematography By: Roddy Baumgartner
Music By: Steve Moore
Cast: Dan Stevens, Maika Monroe, Sheila Kelly, Leland Orser, Joel David Moore, Ethan Embry, Brendan Meyer, Lance Reddick, AJ Bowen
A soldier introduces himself to the Peterson family, claiming to be a friend of their son who died in action. After the young man is welcomed into their home, a series of accidental deaths seem to be connected to his presence.
Directed By: Frank Coraci
Written By: Ivan Menchell & Clare Sara
Cinematography: Julio Macat
Editor: Tom Costain
Cast: Adam Sandler, Drew Barrymore, Bella Thorne, Kevin Nealon, Terry Crews, Wendi Mclendon-Covey, Shaquille O’Neal, Joel McHale, Abdoulaye N’Gom, Jessica Lowe, Braxton Beckham, Emma Fuhrmann, Alyvia Alyn Lind, Allen Covert, Dan Patrick, Tim Herlihy, Alexis Arquette, Lauren Lapkus, Michael Buscemi, Rob Moran, Jonathan Loughran
After a blind date gone horribly wrong, Jim and Lauren agree they never, ever want to see each other again. Well, that’s all about to change when the two find themselves and their respective families (including children) all stuck together in one suite at an African Safari vacation spot.
Directed By: John R. Leonetti
Written By: Gary Dauberman
Cinematography By: James Kniest
Editor: Tom Elkins
Cast: Annabelle Wallis, Ward Horton, Alfre Woodard, Tony Amendola, Brian Howe
John Form has found the perfect gift for his expectant wife, Mia – a beautiful, rare vintage doll in a pure white wedding dress. But Mia’s delight with Annabelle doesn’t last long. On one horrific night, their home is invaded by members of a satanic cult, who violently attack the couple. Spilled blood and terror are not all they leave behind. The cultists have conjured an entity so malevolent that nothing they did will compare to the sinister conduit to the damned that is now… Annabelle.
Written, Directed & Edited By: Gareth Evans
Cinematography By: Matt Flannery & Dimas Imam Subhono
Music By: Aria Prayogi, Joseph Trapenese & Fajar Yuskemal
Fight Choregraphy By: Iwo Uwais & Yayan Ruhain
Cast: Iwo Uwais, Julie Estelle, Yayan Ruhain, Arifin Putra, Donny Alamsyah, Oka Antara, Alex Abbad, Tio Pakusodewo, Very Tri Yulisman
He thought it was over. After fighting his way out of a building filled with gangsters and madmen – a fight that left the bodies of police and gangsters alike piled in the halls – rookie Jakarta cop Rama thought it was done and he could resume a normal life. He couldn’t have been more wrong. Formidable though they may have been, Rama’s opponents in that fateful building were nothing more than small fish swimming in a pond much larger than he ever dreamed possible. And his triumph over the small fry has attracted the attention of the predators farther up the food chain. His family at risk, Rama has only one choice to protect his infant son and wife: He must go undercover to enter the criminal underworld himself and climb through the hierarchy of competing forces until it leads him to the corrupt politicians and police pulling the strings at the top of the heap. And so Rama begins a new odyssey of violence, a journey that will force him to set aside his own life and history.
Directed By: James Gunn
Written By: James Gunn & Nicole Perlman
Based on the Comic-Book By: Andy Lanning & Dan Adnett
Cinematography By: Ben Davis
Editor: Fred Raskin, Craig Wood & Hughes Winborne
Music By Tyler Bates
Cast: Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Lee Pace, Dijmon Hounsou Michael Rooker, Benecio Del Toro, Karen Gillan, Glenn Close, John C. Reilly, Vin Diesel (Voice Only), Bradley Cooper (Voice Only), Sean Gunn, Peter Serafinowicz, Gregg Henry
After stealing a mysterious orb in the far reaches of outer space, Peter Quill is now the main target of a manhunt led by the villain known as Ronan the Accuser. To help fight Ronan and his team and save the galaxy from his power, Quill creates a team known as the ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ to save the world.
Directed By: Rob Minkoff
Written By: Craig Wright, Michael McCullers, Thomas Lennon & Robert Ben Garant
Based on Characters Created By: Ted Cay
Editor: Michael Andrews
Music Score By: Danny Elfman
Featuring the voices of: Ty Burell, Ariel Winter, Stephen Colbert, Leslie Mann, Denis Haysbert, Stephen Tobolowsky, Allison Janney, Patrick Warburton, Stanley Tucci, Lake Bell, Mel Brooks, Tom McGrath, Thomas Lennon, Robert Ben Garant
Directed By: Tate Taylor
Written By: Jez Butterworth & John-Henry Butterworth
Story By: Steven Baigelman, Jez Butterworth & John-Henry Butterworth
Cinematography By: Stephen Goldblatt
Editor: Michael McCusker
Cast: Chadwick Boseman, Nelsan Ellis, Lennie James, Jill Scott, Dan Ayckroyd, Viola Davis, Craig Robinson, Octavia Spencer, Fred Melamed, Tika Sumpter, Aloe Blacc, Tariq Trotter, Aunjanue Ellis, Keith Robinson
A chronicle of James Brown ‘s rise from extreme poverty to become one of the most influential musicians in history. Of course it would be hard to summarize the life and legacy of James Brown in a single film. That is a near impossible task. Though this film has a nice overview and introduces some aspects that maybe the general public didn’t know.
Written & Directed By: Woody Allen
Cinematography By: Darius Khondji
Editor: Alisa Lepselter
Cast: Colin Firth, Emma Stone, Marcia Gay Harden, Jacki Weaver, Simon McBurney, Eileen Atkins, Catherine McCormick, Erica Leerhsen Hamish Linklater, Ute Lemper
Stanley is a magician who has dedicated his life to revealing fraudulent spiritualists. He plans to quickly uncover the truth behind celebrated spiritualist Sophie and her scheming mother. However, the more time he spends with her, he starts thinking that she might actually be able to communicate with the other world, but even worse, he might be falling in love with her.
Directed By: Chris Nelson
Written By: Alan Yang
Cinematography: David Robert James
Editor: Akkiko Iwakawa-Grieve & Tia Nolan
Cast: Nicholas Braun, Hunter Cope, Zach Cregger, Dakota Johnson, Ray Santiago, Megan Mullally, Nick Offerman, Larry Wilmore, Gary Cole, Sarah Hyland, Dustin Ybarra, Rob Huebel, Aziz Ansari, Wendi McLendon-Covey, Brian Geraghaty
High school seniors Michael and Matty make a pact to help each other lose their virginity before their high school prom. Their plan hits a snag when Matty tells his best friend that he’s gay. Michael’s supportive but awkward attempts to help Matty fit in put a strain on their decade-long friendship. Their friendship is further tested when Michael falls for Matty’s former girlfriend and Matty falls for a guy whom Michael wouldn’t approve of. Prom looms and Michael and Matty have to repair their friendship and then figure out their love lives.
Directed By: Jean-Marc Vallee
Written By: Nick Hornby
Based on the memoir “Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail” By: Cheryl Strayed Cinematography By: Yves Belanger
Editor: John Mac McMurphy (Jean-Marc Vallee) & Martin Pensa
Cast: Resse Witherspoon, Laura Dern, Thomas Sadoski, W. Earl Brown, Gaby Hoffman, Kevin Rankin, Brian Van Holt, Cliff De Young
Cut To The Chase 