Are my reviews too long to read? Do you want something you can watch or listen to instead? Check out my "Movie Classroom" video series. Hot off the processor, here's my second and newest whiteboard video version of my complete movie review of Alien: Covenant on the Every Movie Has a Lesso YouTube channel! Like and subscribe!
Read MoreDesigned by H.R. Giger and manifested by Oscar-winning special effects puppetry, the unforgettable xenomorph creature that debuted in 1979’s Alien lunged with more menace than suddenness. The acid-dripping extraterrestrial was an overpowering stalker. Fast-forward 38 years to Alien: Covenant, and the CGI-boosted effects capable today have accelerated the monster’s lethal velocity to an unhinged and downright bonkers level. Let me tell you, that’s a dandy of a jolt.
Read MoreTongues are inserted into cheeks at a rapid-fire pace in “Bridget Jones’s Baby. The euphemisms, drollery, puns, wild physical gags, and self-deprecating farce originate from all directions and target anyone with eyes and a smile. The writing is harebrained in the most smart and witty ways possible and, trust me, that is a compliment. Better yet, when it needs to, the movie turns off the jokes and hits you with the necessary heart to make all the silly stuff enormously endearing.
Read MoreThe success of a remake, reboot, or sequel is contingent upon matching the tone of the original work to the best of its ability. If a film gets that tone right, it can be a drastic revision full of changes and updates and still feel respectfully aware and in tune with the previous well-remembered greatness the new film is trying to emulate. I stand by that rationale and now bring that gauge to “Ghostbusters” and the wave of misguided hatred that follows it. I say misguided because the overprotective nostalgia and/or sexist gender complaints are false sources of this film’s problems.
Read MoreUnless the title begins with "Toy Story," Disney/Pixar has not had very good luck with effective sequels. "Cars 2" aimed too high for a bigger international stage and "Monsters University" failed as a bonding origin story prequel. Thirteen years after the original, "Finding Dory" changes that weak trend with a winning flourish. Teeming with plenty of vibrant energy and anchored by Pixar's signature punch of finely tuned emotional storytelling, this sequel will delight audiences young and old and earns its mature place as a companion piece to the classic "Finding Nemo."
Read MoreTo sneak preview a later life lesson in this review, you could trade the Greek demographic of the central Portokalos family in "My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2" with any other American immigrant nationality and get much of the same effect. Nearly all people are being both defined by and embarrassed by their family. Whether you're Greek or not, you will watch both original and the sequel and poke fun at the similarities and differences. Such is an easy draw, but that charm has limits in a been-there-done-that sequel.
Read MoreI watch "Minions" and I don't see anything fresh or fun. I see a bloated adventure film that steals good ideas from better films because its own originality is tremendously limited. I hear and see repeated cliches around every corner that are only played for laughs because of mild physical comedy. I see a movie so annoying that I would punch my own child in the face for wanting to watch it over and over. I'll be the one that says it. This film is terrible and we can do better with family entertainment.
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