Whiskey Tango Foxtrot (2016)

by Sara Michelle Fetters - March 7th, 2016 - Movie Reviews

If Whiskey Tango Foxtrot isn’t as incisive or as penetrating as it potentially could have been, for a major studio satirical look at the war in Afghanistan there’s still plenty of food for thought here. Ficarra and Requa get more right than they do wrong, and while Carlock’s script isn’t a warts-and-all expose it digs just deep enough to keep the average viewer with even of a modicum of intelligence satisfied.

If Whiskey Tango Foxtrot isn’t as incisive or as penetrating as it potentially could have been, for a major studio satirical look at the war in Afghanistan there’s still plenty of food for thought here. Ficarra and Requa get more right than they do wrong, and while Carlock’s script isn’t a warts-and-all expose it digs just deep enough to keep the average viewer with even of a modicum of intelligence satisfied.

The Other Side of the Door (2016)

by Sara Michelle Fetters - March 5th, 2016 - Movie Reviews

Problem is, not only is what transpires unintentionally laughable, it also brings to mind a number of better, in some cases classic, thrillers that The Other Side of the Door has no business drawing comparisons to. On top of that, the last scene is an easy out that anyone with half-a-brain will see coming from a mile away, making it more worthy of a couple solid eye rolls than anything close to resembling a terrified shriek.

Problem is, not only is what transpires unintentionally laughable, it also brings to mind a number of better, in some cases classic, thrillers that The Other Side of the Door has no business drawing comparisons to. On top of that, the last scene is an easy out that anyone with half-a-brain will see coming from a mile away, making it more worthy of a couple solid eye rolls than anything close to resembling a terrified shriek.

Emelie (2016)

by Sara Michelle Fetters - March 4th, 2016 - Movie Reviews

Everything is decidedly not like it seems in the slow burn B-movie Emelie, a crafty psychological thriller that reveals its cards relatively early on but then takes its time uncomfortably playing them. Unsurprisingly, Anna isn’t who she claims to be, but what she wants with the Thompson’s? Why she is in their home? That is a little harder to figure out, the answer a truly terrifying revelation that got so completely under my skin I could feel the reverberations running through my veins long after the film itself had come to an end.

Everything is decidedly not like it seems in the slow burn B-movie Emelie, a crafty psychological thriller that reveals its cards relatively early on but then takes its time uncomfortably playing them. Unsurprisingly, Anna isn’t who she claims to be, but what she wants with the Thompson’s? Why she is in their home? That is a little harder to figure out, the answer a truly terrifying revelation that got so completely under my skin I could feel the reverberations running through my veins long after the film itself had come to an end.

London Has Fallen (2016)

by Sara Michelle Fetters - March 4th, 2016 - Movie Reviews

Unlike the first film, [London Has Fallen] never takes itself seriously. At the same time, it amplifies the violence and the jingoism to stratospheric levels…It’s just plain nuts, walking a surreal line between being irredeemably offensive and goofily enjoyable with astonishing aplomb.

Unlike the first film, [London Has Fallen] never takes itself seriously. At the same time, it amplifies the violence and the jingoism to stratospheric levels…It’s just plain nuts, walking a surreal line between being irredeemably offensive and goofily enjoyable with astonishing aplomb.

The Wave (2015)

by Sara Michelle Fetters - March 4th, 2016 - Movie Reviews

I really liked The Wave (2015), liked it a lot. While it doesn’t do anything new, Uthaug’s latest genre excursion just does what it sets out to do so gosh darn well, the lack of originality or innovation isn’t the type of problem it would have been had lesser hands been guiding the production.

I really liked The Wave (2015), liked it a lot. While it doesn’t do anything new, Uthaug’s latest genre excursion just does what it sets out to do so gosh darn well, the lack of originality or innovation isn’t the type of problem it would have been had lesser hands been guiding the production.

Zootopia (2016)

by Sara Michelle Fetters - March 4th, 2016 - Movie Reviews

If Zootopia isn’t the same sort of sensation that Tangled or Frozen were, that doesn’t make it any less wonderful. Reminiscent of Wreck-It Ralph, the film is another winner for Disney proper (i.e. non-Pixar related) and shows the studio is still a force to be reckoned with where it comes to their animated offerings.

If Zootopia isn’t the same sort of sensation that Tangled or Frozen were, that doesn’t make it any less wonderful. Reminiscent of Wreck-It Ralph, the film is another winner for Disney proper (i.e. non-Pixar related) and shows the studio is still a force to be reckoned with where it comes to their animated offerings.

Eddie the Eagle (2016)

by Sara Michelle Fetters - February 26th, 2016 - Movie Reviews

Not so much the true story of the ski jumper’s path to the Olympics as one that enjoys playing in a fertile genre playground reminiscent of Rocky, The Rookie, Hoosiers and, of course, Cool Runnings, [Eddie the Eagle] is an enjoyable lark, and much like the man at the center of it all ends up being virtually impossible to dislike.

Not so much the true story of the ski jumper’s path to the Olympics as one that enjoys playing in a fertile genre playground reminiscent of Rocky, The Rookie, Hoosiers and, of course, Cool Runnings, [Eddie the Eagle] is an enjoyable lark, and much like the man at the center of it all ends up being virtually impossible to dislike.

Gods of Egypt (2016)

by Sara Michelle Fetters - February 26th, 2016 - Movie Reviews

[Gods of Egypt] is beyond stupid. At the same time, I got the feeling that Proyas realizes this, and, instead of trying to mask the inherent absurdity of what is transpiring, he pushes it front and center, reveling in the unabashed lunacy as if he were making a Loony Tunes cartoon and not a budget-busting Hollywood spectacular.

[Gods of Egypt] is beyond stupid. At the same time, I got the feeling that Proyas realizes this, and, instead of trying to mask the inherent absurdity of what is transpiring, he pushes it front and center, reveling in the unabashed lunacy as if he were making a Loony Tunes cartoon and not a budget-busting Hollywood spectacular.

Triple 9 (2016)

by Sara Michelle Fetters - February 24th, 2016 - Movie Reviews

Hillcoat remains a director on the rise, and there’s nothing about Triple 9 that makes me question that assessment. But the movie never realizes its inherent potential, riffing too much inside the world of genre classics that came before it rarely charting a course that could even slightly be considered original.

Hillcoat remains a director on the rise, and there’s nothing about Triple 9 that makes me question that assessment. But the movie never realizes its inherent potential, riffing too much inside the world of genre classics that came before it rarely charting a course that could even slightly be considered original.

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