Review – Justice League (2017)

by Kevin Muller

The anticipation of Detective Comics’, or D.C.’s, top tier of heroes coming together is something  that just isn’t felt by fans of the comics, but also anyone who has been following the development of this project. In 2013, Zack Synder was put in charge of directing the starting point for the D.C. universe, Man of Steel. That film was a success and was followed by the even more successful, but awful,  Suicide Squad. In the same year we were also given the match up comic book fans have been waiting for with the underwhelming Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice. Though it was Wonder Woman that acted as a gleam of light for the universe.  Anchored by an incredible performance by Gal Gadot, it became both a financial and critical success. Synder was hard at work on his vision of Justice League when tragedy struck him and his family with the death of his daughter.   Joss Whedon, who had experience dealing with a group of heroes with the first two “The Avengers,” was brought on to finish about 20% of the film Synder had left unfinished.   Then there were rumors that Whedon was specifically brought on to change the tone of the Sydner’s vision of this film and future DC films by adding the lightness and humor missing from Batman  V Superman: Dawn of Justice. So, with all that, how does a hybrid of two different styles pan out?   Does it work or does it destroy the leg up  Wonder Woman contributed?

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Review – Murder on the Orient Express (2017)

by Kevin Muller

Before comic book films became the craze, the holiday season was reserved for films that had big casts, a large budget, and usually an adaptation of a famous novel. Who doesn’t want to see their favorite stars all together on screen acting with one another?  Murder on the Orient Express has been adapted many times as both a film and a TV production. This time, Shakespearean lover, and the man who brought the mighty Thor to the silver screen, Kenneth Branagh, takes a shot at the famous Agatha Christie murder mystery.

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Review – Kingsman: The Golden Circle (2017)

by Kevin Muller

Ah, okay, it is incredibly refreshing to be able to talk about a film without beating around the bush.  Unlike ‘Mother!,” this film is just a standard action film with an A to B plot-line. Back in 2014, the original Kingsman: The Secret Service, hit theaters and knocked everyone out with its satire, kick ass action, and one hell of a leading man, Colin Firth. Once again, we are thrown back into the world of espionage, gadgets, and satire. Does it work again?

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Review – Mother! (2017)

by Kevin Muller

Forget everything you have seen or heard about this film. Don’t seek out any spoilers or explanations about the film either. This is probably the most controversial studio film to be released in an extremely long time. People always complain that there is no originality in Hollywood anymore, well, it is time to put up or shut up. You may not like this one, but you can’t say it is like anything you’ve seen before. Even as a movie critic, it is an extremely hard one to review without giving it all away.

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Review – The Layover, Girl’s Trip, and Rough Night!

The Good, Bad, and the Ugly: “The Layover,” “Girl’s Trip,” and “Rough Night” Review

by Kevin Muller

These three movies take the typical comedic situations involving girl trips and creates three very different stories. They all try to make us laugh, with some resorting to the gross out humor more than the others, but only one really succeeds because it abides by the rules of good film-making.  

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Review – IT (2017)

by Kevin Muller

Many people don’t know, but the number 27 and the release of the new film, “IT”, go hand in hand. In the novel, Pennywise, the murderous clown, emerges every 27 years. Secondly, it has been 27 years since the television adaptation of the novel where Tim Curry played Pennywise was released. Finally, the new Pennywise, played by Bill Skarsgard, is 27 as the new film drops. All these are interesting and cool coincidences, but does the new adaptation of the famous Stephen King novel succeed? It has advantages that the television movie didn’t have: production value, gore, and the ability for the characters to talk like real thirteen year olds, who drop swear words like they are going out of style.

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Review – I Do…Until I Don’t (2017)

by Kevin Muller

Lake Bell’s second feature film I Do… Until I Don’t contains all the errors that she avoided with her first film, “In a World.”   The actress, writer, and director definitely has talent in those three areas, but this time she comes up short with something that lacks energy and focus.

Bell plays Alice, a meek young woman who is definitely not comfortable with her sexuality. Ed Helms plays her husband Noah. The awkward, but decent couple have been married for seven years and tried many times to have a children with no success.   Her biological clock is ticking and this has put stress on their relationship. Meanwhile, Alice’s sister, Fanny, and her partner, Zander, live a stress free life and allow different partners into their bed. They are free loving hippies who live off Zander’s trust fund.  Finally, Cybil and Harvey, an older married couple, have completely lost the spark in their thirty years together. These three couples are the subjects of a documentary being put together by a women named Vivian. It is Vivian’s belief that matrimony is a false way of life. She knows she has to spice it up and feeds off the constant confrontations these characters experience with one another, and even gets involved to play puppet master at points.

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Classic Review – Election (1999)

by Kevin Muller

This isn’t a review, but a look at why this specific film is one of my favorite of all time.  Want an extremely short review?  “Election” is a masterpiece in film making that has beautifully subtle direction, a flawless script, incredible performances, and is funny as hell.   

Here, I am going to talk about why this movie can be used as a metaphor for most elections that happen every four years in this country.  The film maybe about a high school election but many of the antics can be applied to the event that defines our Democracy.   Please enjoy….

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Review – The Dark Tower

The-Dark-Tower

by Kevin Muller

“The Dark Tower” is an epic that can be best described as an unforgettable experience.   The themes, plot, characters, and scope of the story is unmatched.  It is something that should be sought out by anyone who wants to partake in something that will stand the test of time.   Well, that is what I have heard about the novel.   My admiration for Stephen King stands with “IT”, which will have its own movie out next month.   I walked into “The Dark Tower” only knowing the basic knowledge of the source material so I strictly judged it as a film.   Even then, I saw a movie is a broken, incomplete, and a lazy affair that definitely fails the source material.

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‘IT’ Trailer 2 Reaction!

by Kevin Muller

The second trailer, or clip, has arrived for the anticipated new adaptation of Stephen King’s horror masterpiece.    This one definitely has more footage than I expected, hell, it basically is a new miniature trailer.  Let’s see what we got this time.

We hear Stan, standing in front of the attendees at his synagogue, talking about how children are supposed to be protected and how the unprotected ones become prey to evil.   Accompanying this speech we see footage of a missing person’s photo along with an image of a very seedy looking adult.  This gives of the feeling that Muschetti will indeed include how Pennywise’s presence does bring out the worst in the town.  It is something that the mini-series didn’t really talk about.  Readers of the novel know that Pennywise casts a very negative energy amongst the residents that definitely influences them to do evil acts.

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