2.5 out of 5 stars (Decent) Just Say Goodbye is about teen suicide. Thank you to producer and screenwriter Layla O’Shea and director/producer Matt Walting for reaching out to me for this review. I am excluding the spoilery trailer. Just Say Goodbye is a mixed bag. It’s a well-acted drama about teen suicide prevention whose… Continue Reading
Hate Crime: Topical Drama Sheds Light On Complex Subject Matter
3.5 out of 5 stars (above average) Hate Crime is a film we need right now. With depressingly escalating numbers of school shootings, racially-motivated bombings, and, unfortunately, hate crimes flooding the news headlines, it is easy to become numb to the death toll and forget the gravity of human loss that comes from these crimes. … Continue Reading
The Upside: Kevin Hart And Bryan Cranston Elevate Touching Drama
3 out of 5 stars (Average) Kevin Hart has built a career around his persona. Loud, honest, and often funny, Hart has entertained audiences in standup routines and movies catered to his rapid-fire style of humor. The Upside shows a quieter, more relatable version of Hart that shows his potential for dramatic roles while still providing… Continue Reading
A Simple Favor: Darkly Comedic Thriller Has Energetic Performances, Great Twists
3.5 out of 5 stars (Above Average) A Simple Favor may well be the most ambitious and outrageous film so far this year. Director Paul Feig (Spy, The Heat) has outdone himself here, crafting a darkly comedic and endlessly twisty thriller with wonderful performances from Anna Kendrick and Blake Lively, the latter of which has… Continue Reading
Marshall: Unpretentious Legal Drama Has Great Performances, Timely Message
4 out of 5 stars (one of the best of the year) I’ll be completely honest here: The primary reason I saw Marshall was because Thor: Ragnarok wasn’t at my local theater. The trailer for Marshall made it look like an overly serious legal drama that would likely drown in its own self-importance (not that… Continue Reading
The Circle: Techno-Thriller Spins its Wheels into Unintentional Comedy
2 out of 5 stars (has some good moments, but is overall bad) Watching The Circle is like listening to someone who believes they are extremely knowledgeable about a certain subject, but in reality are spouting arguments that are as obvious as the sun. They think you’ve never heard their points before, and you will… Continue Reading