Jurassic World 3D (2015)

by Sara Michelle Fetters - October 23rd, 2015 - Blu-ray and DVD

I really like [Jurassic World], enjoy what Trevorrow has done with it, finding the film fantastically enjoyable even if, in the end, it’s not doing a lot more than rehash events from the first one if only on a much larger scale. It works, plain and simple, and as such it’s arguably my second favorite in the entire series and the only sequel I’m likely to re-watch somewhat regularly.

I really like [Jurassic World], enjoy what Trevorrow has done with it, finding the film fantastically enjoyable even if, in the end, it’s not doing a lot more than rehash events from the first one if only on a much larger scale. It works, plain and simple, and as such it’s arguably my second favorite in the entire series and the only sequel I’m likely to re-watch somewhat regularly.

Jem and the Holograms (2015)

by Sara Michelle Fetters - October 23rd, 2015 - Movie Reviews

My heart more often than not just wasn’t in it, the fact the priceless bits are sensational only making the stuff that doesn’t work that much more catastrophic. Funny thing, even with that being so, I still kind of want to like Jem and the Holograms in spite of all its missteps and shortcomings, and if that isn’t truly outrageous in and of itself I’m not sure what else would be.

My heart more often than not just wasn’t in it, the fact the priceless bits are sensational only making the stuff that doesn’t work that much more catastrophic. Funny thing, even with that being so, I still kind of want to like Jem and the Holograms in spite of all its missteps and shortcomings, and if that isn’t truly outrageous in and of itself I’m not sure what else would be.

The Last Witch Hunter (2015)

by Sara Michelle Fetters - October 23rd, 2015 - Movie Reviews

[Director Breck] Eisner is talented, and I’m going to assume he’s got another The Crazies – hopefully more than one – in him at some point, but The Last Witch Hunter isn’t it. This is a bad movie. More, it’s a waste of time, and I feel more than a little terrible for those who spend hard-earned money on a ticket to watch it.

[Director Breck] Eisner is talented, and I’m going to assume he’s got another The Crazies – hopefully more than one – in him at some point, but The Last Witch Hunter isn’t it. This is a bad movie. More, it’s a waste of time, and I feel more than a little terrible for those who spend hard-earned money on a ticket to watch it.

Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension (2015)

by Sara Michelle Fetters - October 23rd, 2015 - Movie Reviews

I still think the first three in this series are remarkably effective, and even if this sixth effort fails to maintain tension there are sequences that got under my skin marvelously…While not a total loss, it’s still clear Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension is indicative of a franchise running on fumes, the scares just not strong enough to warrant another jaunt into this particular version of the unknown anytime soon.

I still think the first three in this series are remarkably effective, and even if this sixth effort fails to maintain tension there are sequences that got under my skin marvelously…While not a total loss, it’s still clear Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension is indicative of a franchise running on fumes, the scares just not strong enough to warrant another jaunt into this particular version of the unknown anytime soon.

Rock the Kasbah (2015)

by Sara Michelle Fetters - October 23rd, 2015 - Movie Reviews

You get the feeling that Glazer and Levinson are going for something along the same lines as the filmmaker’s similar classics like Good Morning, Vietnam or Wag the Dog, trying to find a balance between humanity and satire, humor and drama, that could both tickle the funny bone while also exciting the intellect…Problem is, it’s all too nondescript, too superficial, and as such little makes enough of an impact to be vital or affecting.

You get the feeling that Glazer and Levinson are going for something along the same lines as the filmmaker’s similar classics like Good Morning, Vietnam or Wag the Dog, trying to find a balance between humanity and satire, humor and drama, that could both tickle the funny bone while also exciting the intellect…Problem is, it’s all too nondescript, too superficial, and as such little makes enough of an impact to be vital or affecting.

Hellions (2015)

by Sara Michelle Fetters - October 19th, 2015 - Movie Reviews

McDonald is just too talented to make a movie that’s a complete waste of time, and considering the obvious creep factor of the scenario I was intrigued as to where he and Trottier were going to take things. But [Hellions (2015)] just doesn’t have any weight, any meaning, never earning the sorrow-laced conclusion the final images hint at. I wanted more, the fact McDonald’s latest refused to give it to me an upsetting turn of events I admit I did not see coming.

McDonald is just too talented to make a movie that’s a complete waste of time, and considering the obvious creep factor of the scenario I was intrigued as to where he and Trottier were going to take things. But [Hellions (2015)] just doesn’t have any weight, any meaning, never earning the sorrow-laced conclusion the final images hint at. I wanted more, the fact McDonald’s latest refused to give it to me an upsetting turn of events I admit I did not see coming.

Return to Sender (2015)

by Sara Michelle Fetters - October 18th, 2015 - Blu-ray and DVD

Return to Sender is a bad movie. It’s script is hogwash. It hasn’t the courage to embrace its exploitation origins. It’s surprisingly misogynistic in many of the ways David Fincher’s Gone Girl potentially could have been yet fearlessly, ferociously never was…Director Fouad Mikati (Operation: Endgame) does what he can, allowing veteran cinematographer Russell Carpenter (Titanic) and dynamite composer Daniel Hart (Ain’t Them Bodies Saints) to work as magic as they can, but in the end it just isn’t enough, this thriller about as difficult to sit through as any movie I’ve seen this year.

Return to Sender is a bad movie. It’s script is hogwash. It hasn’t the courage to embrace its exploitation origins. It’s surprisingly misogynistic in many of the ways David Fincher’s Gone Girl potentially could have been yet fearlessly, ferociously never was…Director Fouad Mikati (Operation: Endgame) does what he can, allowing veteran cinematographer Russell Carpenter (Titanic) and dynamite composer Daniel Hart (Ain’t Them Bodies Saints) to work as magic as they can, but in the end it just isn’t enough, this thriller about as difficult to sit through as any movie I’ve seen this year.

Bridge of Spies (2015)

by Sara Michelle Fetters - October 16th, 2015 - Movie Reviews

Spielberg is in fine form with Bridge of Spies, his handling of the material confidently self-assured and magnetic. A stunning procedural, this is an intimate, engagingly personal thriller that held me spellbound first moment to last, building to a suitably tense climax upon the film’s titular location that’s as appropriate as it is divine.

Spielberg is in fine form with Bridge of Spies, his handling of the material confidently self-assured and magnetic. A stunning procedural, this is an intimate, engagingly personal thriller that held me spellbound first moment to last, building to a suitably tense climax upon the film’s titular location that’s as appropriate as it is divine.

Crimson Peak (2015)

by Sara Michelle Fetters - October 16th, 2015 - Movie Reviews

With top-notch performances from Wasikowska, Chastain and Hiddleston, featuring stellar technical efforts from the entire production team, del Toro has crafted a magnetic spellbinder that does the genre proud. [Crimson Peak is] one of the acclaimed director’s better efforts and, more than that, it’s also one of the year’s most memorably fascinating thrillers.

With top-notch performances from Wasikowska, Chastain and Hiddleston, featuring stellar technical efforts from the entire production team, del Toro has crafted a magnetic spellbinder that does the genre proud. [Crimson Peak is] one of the acclaimed director’s better efforts and, more than that, it’s also one of the year’s most memorably fascinating thrillers.

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