The Hunt Review – Let the Gory Games Begin!
The Hunt Review — Staci Layne Wilson says while its brutality is extreme, it’s worth a look on the big screen if you’re a fan of the genre. The Hunt begins when a small group of strangers wakes up from a drug-induced doze, finding themselves in a grassy meadow with a large wooden crate in its…
RIDE LIKE A GIRL Review —This Family-Friendly Film Trots Out the Girl Power
Ride Like a Girl review — Critic Staci Layne Wilson, who is also an accomplished equestrian, says it’s a triple crown winner of a family flick. Rachel Griffiths, mostly known as an actor (Six Feet Under) directs a plucky Teresa Palmer (Hacksaw Ridge) in Ride Like a Girl, the inspiring true story of jockey Michelle…
AMAZING STORIES Review – Apple Takes a Bite of 80s Sci-Fi Nostalgia
Amazing Stories review — Here’s hoping this Steven Speilberg anthology series reboot picks up steam. If you were around in the 1980s, then you may remember Steven Spielberg’s Amazing Stories. The Emmy-winning anthology television series was based on a beloved monthly magazine that brought readers the best in sci-fi and speculative fiction (with the occasional…
ONCE WERE BROTHERS Review — Robbie Robertson and The Band in an Electrifying and Edifying Music Documentary
Once Were Brothers review — the story of a rock group, not too different from many stories of rock groups, but a fascinating and at times heart-wrenching tale. The Band, led by Robbie Robertson, lasted less than a decade, but the group’s influence is undeniably eternal. They backed Bob Dylan when he went electric, inspired the…
THE LODGE Review – Snow Problem
Staci Layne Wilson’s The Lodge review says it’s both chilling and chilly — a cold winter’s must-see. If you like weird, wintry chillers, then The Lodge should be on your list of must-sees. Using a harsh and unforgiving landscape as the backdrop to an isolated dwelling to great effect (think: The Shining or The Thing),…
THE GENTLEMEN Review — a Criminally Insane Comedy of Manners
Staci Layne Wilson’s The Gentlemen review says it’s a testosterone-soaked love-fest with a killer cast. While one may think more of Noël Coward or Robert Altman when it comes to classic comedies of manner, writer-director Guy Ritchie certainly deserves a place at the table with his newest action thriller, The Gentlemen. This frenetic flick depicts…
MALEFICENT: MISTRESS OF EVIL Review – Strange Brew
Maleficent: Mistress of Evil review — Cutesy with a touch of genocide, it’s a curious curveball from Disney. While this movie is called Maleficent: Mistress of Evil, it’s mostly about the now-awakened Sleeping Beauty and princess-to-be Aurora (a cloying Elle Fanning). Maleficent (a commanding Angelina Jolie) skulks about with enormous CG batwings here and there…
JUDY Review – Zellweger Shines Somewhere Over the Rainbow
Judy review — Renée Zellweger’s performance as the troubled Judy Garland far surpasses the rest of the film. It’s an age-old sob-story: Hollywood chews up child actors and spits them out as broken adults. Judy Garland (Darci Shaw) was no exception, but she did have more talent than most. She was already a box office…
DON’T LET GO Review — Actually, You CAN Let Go Of This One
Don’t Let Go review — Time travel can be a tricky beast, and the filmmakers couldn’t quite wrestle it into submission. The time travel conceit often presents a slippery slope. Sometimes it works marvelously in movies, other times it’s a mess. Sadly, the latter is the case with Don’t Let Go, a flick with a…
SCARY STORIES TO TELL IN THE DARK Review – Perfect Popcorn Scares for Summer
Staci Layne Wilson’s Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark review says it delivers chills and thrills and is the perfect springboard into Halloween season. Alvin Schwartz’s Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark book series is the stuff of legend. Urban legend, that is. Let’s face it: if you read the books all you…
