Classic Review – Batman (1989)

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by Armando Vanegas

Even watching Tim Burton’s Batman now, it still sets the stage for a spectacle and you can see the kind of skill Tim Burton can put into a movie. Right from the beginning, this seems like this could be something big and to be fair, it’s not like there was a lot of superhero movies coming out at the time. Thankfully, it does live up to what a big screen blockbuster should and can be. Granted, some of the effects and the sets are a bit fake looking thanks to the great powers of HD but there’s still a very fun experience to be had here. There’s a lot of money being shown on the screen with the sets, which do a great job at presenting this world. I remember rewatching this a few years ago and I was not particularly blown away by it but there’s something about this recent watch that made me appreciate it more. The thing is that it’s not the kind of movie we see anymore especially from the perspective of a comic book movie. It’s kind of endearing that this was made solely just to tell a story and to entertain but it’s just that. I don’t have to watch 12 more movies to lead up to a franchise just to witness a satisfying end for this movie. Not that that’s bad but I’m in school right now and as a result, I’m not always in the mood for that kind of movie. Anyway, this movie is just called Batman and that’s pretty much what it’s about. I saw Batman do what Batman needed to do and I’m all the more appreciative for that.

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Find Out Why James McAvoy Has Done Awful Things to People, and Why He’ll Do Awful Things to You in ‘SPLIT’

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by Nile Fortner

So a couple of days ago I decided to check out the movie Split. Split is directed by M. Night Shyamalan (The Sixth Sense, Unbreakable) and the movie is about a man named Kevin Crumb, played by James McAvoy (Filth, X-Men: Apocalypse) who has revealed 23 completely different personalities to his psychiatrist, Dr. Fletcher, played by Betty Buckley (The Happening). Out of all the 23 different personalities that are within Kevin, one has not emerged. One that is set to dominate all the other personalities, one that Kevin calls…The Beast! One of Kevin’s personalities decides to abduct three teenage girls; one of those girls, Casey, played by Anya Taylor – Joy (The Witch, Morgan) tries to relate to Kevin’s split personalities. Kevin eventually reaches a breaking point, and all of his personalities begin to slowly unleash the beast within him.

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Review -La La Land

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by Kevin Muller

What more can you say about “La La Land” that already hasn’t been said?  They say it is a masterpiece of a movie that is about ambition, dreams, and hope, all set against original music and beautiful dancing.  They say Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling have one of a kind chemistry and are also individually incredible.  Yes, a lot has been said about this film and most of it is true.

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Kevin is excited for IT!

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by Kevin Muller

It was a hot day in the summer of 1994.  I was eleven years old and enjoying  being off from school for the entire summer.  God, I miss those days when summer was vacant of responsibility and work.  That day, my friends and I had just finished playing a short game of roller hockey, due to the extreme heat.   My friend Brad, whose house we were playing in front of, mentioned a movie that his brother and his friends had seen the previous weekend.   It was about a clown and was written by an author I had heard my older cousins talk about at numerous family gatherings.    Brad’s brother had it on VHS, where he recorded it off the television.  He had the brilliant idea to cut the commercials out too.   His brother was at work, so we decided to check out “IT.”

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Review – Silence (2016)

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by Old King Clancy

When Scorsese came out with Wolf of Wall Street a few years ago he showed everyone that even at 70 he had the energy and the madness to fuel a 3 hour mess of excess and still have it be one of his best works. Now in 2016 Scorsese slows things down in order to return to a passion project of his, Silence based on the 1966 novel of the same name, a story about Jesuit Priests who travel to 17th Century Japan to spread the word of Christianity only to be met with suffering and persecution. Scorsese’s past in the priesthood is well-documented and the fact that he’s been trying for this project off the ground for 25 years means that this was always going to be an experience worth having.

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‘FENCES’ : Denzel Washington and Viola Davis Go From Stage to Studio

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by Nile Fortner

According to The Wrap, Vulture, and WikipediaFences was originally “a 1983 play by the legendary American playwright August Wilson. Set in the 1950sFences explores the evolving African-American experience, family, the relationship between a father and son, examines race relations, among other themes. The play won the 1987 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and the 1987 Tony Award for Best Play. Fences premiered on Broadway at the 46th Street Theatre on March 26, 1987, and closed on June 26, 1988, after 525 performances and 11 previews. Directed by Lloyd Richards, the cast featured James Earl Jones (voice of Darth VaderThe Sandlot) as Troy Maxson, Mary Alice (Malcolm X, The Matrix Revolutions) as Rose, and Courtney B. Vance (Terminator Genisys, Office Christmas Party) as Cory.”

More recently, Wikipedia has written, “Broadway revived the iconic play. It opened at the Cort Theatre on April 26, 2010, with limited showing. Directed by Kenny Leon, this time around the production starred Denzel Washington (Training Day, The Equalizer) as Troy Maxson and Viola Davis (Prisoners, Suicide Squad) as Rose, as the married couple struggling with American race relations. The play was nominated for a total of ten Tony Awards, winning three for Best Revival of a PlayBest Actor in a Play (Denzel Washington), and Best Actress in a Play (Viola Davis).”

Now that we got that little history lesson out the way. Let’s talk about the actual movie Fences, because that’s what I’m assuming you are here for.

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Drive it like you stole it, and ride with John Carney to Sing Street!

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by Nile Fortner

When you have a conversation with someone about movies in 2016, what do you hear? Do you hear the obvious major blockbusters? All the movies with over a year of hype? Do you discuss the good and not so good? In 2016, I have had conversations with family and friends about such films as, Captain America: Civil War, Suicide Squad, 10 Cloverfield Lane, Moonlight, Swiss Army Man, The Nice Guys, and what a majority of people were discussing and debating about, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Despite how you may feel about these films, one film I believe people are not discussing enough or even realizing is Sing Street. I don’t know about you, but I have not had any conversations and or clue about Sing Street. Overall, people really didn’t seem to talk or care about it. Which is really a shame, because Sing Street should without a doubt definitely be one of the top 2016 films everyone should be talking about and viewing. 
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