Meryl Streep and Anne Hathaway return to portray their iconic roles as Miranda Priestley and Andy Sachs. While some may have been skeptical at first, this...
Featuring 1,200 synchronized illuminated drones moving in perfect harmony with the unforgettable music, this extraordinary experience celebrates 25 Years...
It disappoints me to say that not even the brilliant talents of Michelle Williams and Hong Chau help liven up the slow pace of the less than mildly entertaining new dramedy, “Showing Up”.
Directed/Co-written by Kelly Reichardt, the film follows Williams who plays Lizzy, an unfashionable sculptor who barely speaks and is desperately trying to finish her work that will soon be displayed at an art exhibition. She and her landlord/sort of friend, Jo (Chau) are both working on their art for separate shows.
When Lizzy does speak, it’s in a monotoned and dry voice. She’s bitter, whiny and unfriendly. The opposite of Jo. It seems the only thing that gets her a bit riled up is the fact that she has to repeatedly ask Jo to fix the hot water in her place. That is until the day that Jo finds an injured bird. Unexpectedly, the two of them begin to care of him. This is the first sign of compassion we see come from Lizzy. Though she acts very bitter towards Jo, when the birds fall into her care, she seems to be truly concerned for him.Continue reading
This week I have a fun interview for the new crime comedy, “Mafia Mamma”. Toni Collette stars as a suburban mom who becomes head of the family business left to her by her recently deceased grandfather. The good news? The business is in the beautiful city of Rome, Italy. The bad news? It’s the Mafia. I sat down with the stars, Toni Collette, Sophia Nomvete, Monica Bellucci, and director Catherine Hardwicke.
This week I review DC’s “Shazam! Fury of the Gods”. The film stars Zachary Levi as a young teen who can transform to an adult superhero. The first film was hit, but is this sequel a miss? Watch my full review to find out!
“Shazam! Fury of the Gods” is currently playing in theaters.
This week I review Michael B. Jordan’s directorial debut, “Creed III”. The film follows Adonis 3 years after his retirement from fighting. He has a seemingly perfect life until his past comes back to haunt him. Was this movie a knockout or bust? Find out in the video below!
This week I review the third installment of the Ant-Man franchise, “Ant-Man & The Wasp: Quantumania”. Was it a hit or a miss? Find out in my ICTN review video below!
“Ant-Man & The Wasp: Quantumania” is currently playing in theaters.
This week I review the new comedy, “80 for Brady”. The film stars, Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin, Rita Moreno, and Sally Field as four best friends who are fans of Tom Brady. They make it their mission to go to the Superbowl and watch him play live. Find out if I thought this film was a touchdown or fumble.
After so many heavy award contenders, it’s nice to have a fun palette cleanser like the new sci-fi/thriller, “M3GAN”. January is known to be dump month. So going into this film, I had no expectations but to hopefully have a good time. Luckily, the film turned out to be a whole lot of deadly fun.
Chucky, you’ve met your match. It’s the model 3 generative android, aka M3GAN for short. She is a child’s greatest companion and a parent’s greatest ally. She’s a life-like doll that listens, teaches, and looks after the child she has bonded with. However, when it comes to protecting her owner, M3GAN may go off program and leave a bloody mess behind.
In the film, Allison Williams stars as Gemma, a brilliant roboticist who is obsessed with her job and perfecting the AI for her company’s new toy. Unfortunately, a terrible accident leaves her responsible for her 8-year-old niece, Cady (Violet McGraw). She rushes her newest project so that M3GAN can take on the responsibilities of a guardian that she doesn’t want to be bothered with. But soon M3GAN takes her role to the extreme, and Gemma must do everything she can to deactivate the AI for good.
This hilarious, campy horror is written by Akela Cooper and James Wan; and directed by Gerald Johnstone. It has all the makings for an instant horror classic. The film provides the similar thrills and humor of “Child’s Play”, while adding its own original spin. “M3GAN” is self-aware and embraces the silliness of its premise. Though, the plot is ridiculous, the film also has a lot of heart by exploring grief and its impact on children, as well as people’s dependency on technology. There is a reason why these AI’s shouldn’t replace parents, and at some point, children need to outgrow their toys.
“M3GAN” is a comical story with some foolish scenes, but man, is it one hell of a good time! From her random dance break to her creepy spider crawl chase, you’ll be laughing and shuddering at the thought of M3GAN as your new best friend.
I got a chance to sit down with Academy Award winning director, Damien Chazelle for his new film, “Babylon”. We discuss the changes in the industry that affected him, who was the first person to recognize his talent, and more!
This week I review the highly anticipated sequel to the critically acclaimed “Black Panther.” Find out if I think “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” holds up to the original.
“Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” is currently playing in theaters.
It’s kind of hard to say no to anything with George Clooney or Julia Roberts. But when they team up for a rom-com, I’m sold!
“Ticket to Paradise” tells a predictable story about a divorced couple, David (Clooney) and Georgia (Roberts), who can barely tolerate sitting next to each other at their daughter’s law school graduation. But, when their daughter, Lily (played by Kaitlyn Dever) goes on what was supposed to be a summer trip to Bali and falls in love/gets engaged to a native named Gede (Maxime Bouttier); David and Georgia put their differences aside to stop the wedding.
Like most romantic comedies, I’m sure you see where this story is going. When it comes to rom-coms, it’s not the predictability that is the issue, it’s whether or not we are served a fresh perspective and/or a handful of laughs. “Ticket to Paradise” offers nothing new story wise and, sadly, not a whole lot of laughs.
The film’s runtime is around an hour and 40 minutes, but the pacing is a lot slower compared to other films in that genre. This is due to the lack of comedy. The best moments are when Clooney and Roberts are at each other’s throats. Their disdain for each other is funny, and the audience will crave more bitter banter as the two have wonderful comedic chemistry. I’m just shocked they didn’t utilize their humor more. We have seen Roberts go much bigger in past rom-coms, and it’s always a joy to see. That being said, it seems that, Director/Writer, OI Parker’s intentions with this film were to have more serious conversations with subtle humor verses the typical slapstick comedy tropes. I absolutely respect this choice, but also seems like a missed opportunity with these two stars.
What “Ticket to Paradise” does offer, is a stunning setting that’s its own character, and a charming, talented cast you can’t help but fall for. Dever and Billie Lourd team up again since “Booksmart” and continue to shine on-screen. Bouttier and the rest of the actors playing island natives are also a joy to watch. And of course, the whole purpose of this movie– George Clooney and Julia Roberts are magnetizing. I think we’d be entertained watching these two have a conversation about drywall.
There’s nothing wrong with the film, but in a year where there have been some fresh romantic comedies like, “Bros” or “I Want You Back”, it’s hard to get excited about this one.
However, with such a lovable cast, and beautiful location, “Ticket to Paradise” can be an enjoyable, lighthearted comedy to escape all the madness in our lives.
