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Brightburn (2019) Review
Brightburn (2019) Director: David Yarovesky Screenwriters: Brian Gunn, Mark Gunn Starring: Elizabeth Banks, Davis Denman, Jackson A. Dunn I’ve waited so long for a great superhero-horror film, yet while Brightburn hooked me with its villainous Superman premise, it failed to deliver enough on the “superhero” portion; the film is structured and paced more like a…
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Booksmart (2019) Review
Booksmart (2019) Director: Olivia Wilde Screenwriters: Susanna Fogel, Emily Halpern, Sarah Haskins Starring: Kaitlyn Dever, Beanie Feldstein, Jessica Williams, Jason Sudeikis, Lisa Kudrow, Will Forte, Victoria Ruesga, Mason Gooding, Skyler Gisondo, Diana Silvers, Molly Gordon, Billie Lourd, Eduardo Franco, Nico Hiraga, Austin Crute, Noah Galvin Olivia Wilde’s ebullient directorial debut Booksmart is the coming-of-age comedy we’ve been…
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The Fool (2019) Review
The Fool (2019) Director: Ray Comfort Screenwriter: Ray Comfort Narrator: Ray Comfort The Fool is the latest offering from evangelist Ray Comfort. It’s an autobiographical documentary about his experiences interacting with atheists, beginning with the savage mockery of Comfort due to a silly viral video clip. “Behold, the atheist’s nightmare,” Comfort proclaims as he holds…
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The Curse of La Llorona (2019) Snapshot Review
The Curse of La Llorona (2019) Director: Michael Chaves Screenwriters: Mikki Daughtry, Tobias Iaconis Starring: Linda Cardellini, Raymond Cruz, Patricia Velasquez The possibilities for making a $9 million horror film about La Llorona are nearly endless. The filmmakers possessed a wealth of regional folklore from Central and Southern America dating back to the pre-Colonial era,…
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Avengers: Endgame (2019) Review
Avengers: Endgame (2019) Directors: Anthony Russo, Joe Russo Screenwriters: Christopher Markus, Stephen McFeely Starring: Robert Downey, Jr., Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, Mark Ruffalo, Paul Rudd, Don Cheadle, Karen Gillan, Bradley Cooper, Brie Larson The Avengers are back, this time as a depleted albeit universe-trotting combination of humans, super-humans, bionic beings and…
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Us (2019) Snapshot Review
Us (2019) Director: Jordan Peele Screenwriters: Jordan Peele Starring: Lupita Nyong’o, Winston Duke, Shahadi Wright Joseph, Evan Alex, Elizabeth Moss, Tim Heidecker I loved Get Out, and it’s hard to not compare the two films. One thing I prefer about Us is that it leaves you with just as many questions as answers. Is it…
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Wild Rose (2019) Review
Wild Rose (2019) Director: Tom Harper Screenwriter: Nicole Taylor Starring: Jessie Buckley, Julie Walters, Sophie Okonedo, Jamie Sives, Craig Parkinson, James Harkness Jessie Buckley’s Rose-Lynn wishes to be ‘made into an angel to be flown from “Glasgee” (Glasgow)’ in Wild Rose, the British A Star Is Born with more heart and rhythm in its little guitar playing…
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Captive State (2019) Snapshot Review
Captive State (2019) Director: Rupert Wyatt Screenwriters: Erica Beeney, Rupert Wyatt Starring: John Goodman, Ashton Sanders, Jonathan Majors, Machine Gun Kelly When you saw Battlefield Earth did you think you needed a more complicated version? If so, here’s some good news… that’s what Captive State is. The premises of both films are that an alien force…
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Shazam (2019) Review
Shazam! (2019) Director: David F. Sandberg Screenwriters: Henry Gayden Starring: Zachary Levi, Mark Strong, Asher Angel, Jack Dylan Grazer, Djimon Hounsou Shazam! has brought the DCEU to a whole new level. David F. Sandberg and his team have created a picture that has humor, heart and larger themes that at once elevate the material and…
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Unplanned (2019) Review
Unplanned (2019) Director: Chuck Konzelman, Cary Solomon Screenwriters: Chuck Konzelman, Cary Solomon Starring: Ashley Bratcher, Brooks Ryan, Robia Scott My first note on this film is, “Terrible fake Texas license plate.” That would turn out to be the least of my worries, though it is emblematic of the film as a whole; a poorly reconstructed…