F. Gary Gray’s biopic tells the story of legendary rap group NWA, with a script by Jonathan Herman and Andrea Berloff. Biopics are a difficult beast. It is very hard to condense a person’s entire life and/or career into a two hour film. Here, you are dealing with several people’s stories, as NWA featured five members, two of which went on to massive stardom. That being said, the film does a great job of highlighting key moments of the group’s legacy, and the times of their respective era itself (Late 80’s early 90’s LA). Continue reading “Straight Outta Compton movie review” »

Al Pacino is one of the greatest actors to ever grace the screen. Pacino, in his twilight years, has done mainly made for television projects recently. Here and there, he’ll pop up in a feature film. He takes on the title role of Danny Collins in this picture. It is the story of a washed up musician who tries to change his life, as he seeks redemption in his elder years.

Continue reading “Danny Collins Movie Review” »

Collin Trevorrow’s “Jurassic World” is now the third highest grossing movie of all time. It shattered countless records on its opening weekend. Because of this, I was eager to see what the hype was all about. While it is indeed an entertaining picture, its massive success says more about the industry today than the film itself. Blockbusters are in more demand than ever, franchises at every corner you turn. The latest entry in the Jurassic series continues to cement that notion. Continue reading “Jurassic World Review” »

George Miller returns to the post apocalyptic wasteland he created in the late 1970’s. Miller broke ground with “Mad Max,” the dystopian action film from 1979. It starred a then unknown Mel Gibson, and kicked off what would end up as a trilogy. The series launched Gibson to superstardom, and cemented Miller as a revolutionary filmmaker with his use of carefully and pragmatically coordinated stunts and sequences.

Continue reading “Mad Max: Fury Road Review” »

Marvel’s Ant-Man is one of the universes’s lesser known characters. Only true comic lovers will recognize this character. That fact made this film hard to market. However, the MCU is so large and connected, people will see it regardless. The film opened north of 60 million dollars, good for the second lowest of all Marvel movie entries. Think about that for a second. Most filmmakers can only dream of that kind of opening. In Marvel’s world, that is almost a dead last finish. Financially, of course, it is still a success for them in any ways. Continue reading “Ant-Man Review” »

It’s hard to believe that a 2001 street racing drama would evolve into Universal’s most successful franchise. That is exactly what “The Fast and the Furious” has become. This latest installment, “Furious 7,” will be remembered for one main caveat: star Paul Walker’s final film. Walker was tragically killed in a November 2013 motor accident, eerily similar to the series’ dealings.

Production was halted immediately, and after a few months, it was decided that the film would be finished, and dedicated to Walker’s memory. He is actually in the entire film for the most part. It is the final sequence that was reconfigured upon his death, using stand ins, voiceovers, and CGI (his brothers assisted). His sendoff is certainly the film’s strongest point. Now, on to the review as a whole. Continue reading “Furious 7 Movie Review” »

Heat: The greatest film ever made not named The Godfather.

This year will mark the 20th anniversary of Michael Mann’s Heat; an epic crime saga set against the backdrop of Los Angeles. December 15th will be the exact date of 20 years, but I’ll start early. The year was 1995, and on the verge of release, Heat’s biggest marketing tool was the heavily anticipated pairing of screen legends Al Pacino and Robert DeNiro. Continue reading “Heat: 20 years later” »