DEADPOOL 2 Review – Most Welcome Homicidal Hilarity
DEADPOOL 2 Review by Staci Layne Wilson He’s lewd, crude, and… kinda sweet. Yes, the indestructible superhero Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds) is back for sloppy seconds in Part 2 of a franchise that’s as likely to be as long-lived as its namesake. When the first Deadpool movie came out in 2016, it was a revelation and…
TULLY Review – Charlize Theron Plays Against Type & Scores Again
TULLY Review by Staci Layne Wilson Everyone knows Charlize Theron is more than just a fabulous face and a bodacious body—her Oscar for playing a serial killer in Monster proved that years ago—but you may not have thought of her as the go-to gal for comedy. While she did team up with director Jason Reitman…
MARY SHELLEY Review – A Lifeless Look at the Creator of Frankenstein’s Monster
MARY SHELLEY Review by Staci Layne Wilson Mary Shelley was a fearless, lusty and imaginative female by the standards of any era. In 1812 she ran away from home at the age of fifteen to fall into the arms and bed of her married lover – the pair lived in squalor in a London flat but…
TRUTH OR DARE Review — Playing a Sinister Game
TRUTH OR DARE Review by Pam Mandell Freedman Editor’s Note: Yes, Pam and I are related. She’s my hubby’s cousin. She had the opportunity to meet director Jeff Wadlow at the world premiere of Truth or Dare in his (and her) hometown of Charlottesville, Virginia, which is better access than I had, and she graciously obliged…
CHAPPAQUIDDICK Review — Politics As Unusual
CHAPPAQUIDDICK Review by Staci Layne Wilson Even though the events that gives this movie its title happened nearly 50 years ago, most people know the word Chappaquiddick. It’s a place, but it also evokes notions of politics, coverups, and the infamous “Kennedy curse.” Director John Curran revisits the shocking and sad scandal in this gripping…
READY PLAYER ONE Review – Shall We Play a Game?
READY PLAYER ONE Review by Staci Layne Wilson From Tron to War Games, and The Matrix to Nerve, — the idea of living la vida loca inside a VR game has been studied in cinema pixel-by-pixel for decades now. Some fare better than others. I’m pleased to report that Steven Spielberg’s Ready Player One comes out…
WILDLING Review – A Dark & Twisted Fairytale
WILDLING Review by Staci Layne Wilson Werewolves have been fodder for film since the days of Lon Chaney right up to the wildly popular Twilight franchise. The idea of a perfectly rational human transforming into a bloodthirsty beast is one that’s been explored countless times, and here’s yet another: Wildling. When kindly small-town sheriff Ellen Cooper…
YOU WERE NEVER REALLY HERE Review – It's Hammer Time!
YOU WERE NEVER REALLY HERE Review by Staci Layne Wilson Director Lynne Ramsay, though not prolific, has made a name for herself with movies that make disturbing, yet thought-provoking impressions on the viewer. In 2012 We Need to Talk About Kevin was the talk of the cinephile clique; now she’s back with another curio centered…
LEAN ON PETE Review – If Wishes Were Horses
LEAN ON PETE Review by Staci Layne Wilson There’s an old proverb—and I do mean old; it originated from a 17th century nursery rhyme—that goes, “If wishes were horses, beggars would ride.” The adage implies that it is not enough to wish upon something, you have to take action if you want it to happen.…
UNSANE Review – "Crazy For Loving You"
UNSANE Review Shot on an iPhone, is it standard-issue woman-in-peril suspenser, or more? by Staci Layne Wilson @StaciWilson Who doesn’t love a good old-fashioned trapped-in-an-insane asylum flick? Olivia de Havilland launched the genre with The Snake Pit (1948) and Joan Crawford elevated it in the exploitation era with Strait-Jacket (1964). Our fascination with the loony…
