Category: Movie Reviews

Movie Reviews

Review: “Slender Man”

By jasonbleau on

The legend of Slender Man has become one of the most famous creepypastas, and if you don’t know what a creepypasta is it’s pretty much an internet-based urban legend for the social media generation. In 2014 these legends came to a head when the Slender Man inspired a 12-year-old girl to kill two of her friends in real life. Naturally this created mass appeal and interest in the being which inevitably led a film to be green lit. Four years after the infamous Slender Man murders we finally have that film. However, the movie also comes several years after interest in creepypastas started to fade. All the same Slender Man seems like it would be a perfect subject for a horror movie with extensive mythology behind it. So, does this horror movie live up to the legacy of its namesake or does it spoil that potential on cheap thrills? Let’s take a look. This is my review of “Slender Man”.

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Movie Reviews

Review: “The Meg”

By jasonbleau on

Back in the 1990s Disney purchased the rights to a book that was expected to be the next big shark movie thriller through their Hollywood Pictures studio. Several studio changes and a stint in development hell late and we finally have “The Meg”. Starring Jason Statham and putting the focus on a massive prehistoric shark let loose on the world “The Meg” sounds like a really cool idea on paper, but it’s messy production and high budget had many wondering if this film would be any good or even be good enough to work as a campy B-movie. I’ll be honest I was excited to see it for myself and now that I have I’m ready to give my take. Is it as bad as many expected it to be or are there redeeming qualities that make “The Meg” a harmless attempt at the summer blockbuster? Let’s take a look. This is my review of “The Meg”.

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Movie Reviews

Review: “Eighth Grade”

By jasonbleau on

Once in a generation a movie comes around that defines that era’s youth in such a way that it becomes more than just a timely cinematic feature, it becomes a time capsule of personality, pop culture and values for those ten, twenty, thirty, fifty years down the road to enjoy. For the current generation, those known as Generation Z, it appears we have found that film. Much like “The Breakfast Club” helped define the youth of the 80s and “Boyhood” focused on growing up in the 2000s “Eighth Grade” could go down in history as the ultimate defining picture for the new generation growing up in the 2010s. Written and directed by one of my all-time favorite comedians Bo Burnham “Eighth Grade” was a must see for me and a film I had very high expectations for. So naturally I went out to see it upon its wide release (as the only guy in a theater filled with tweens I might add…awkward) to see if this movie is truly up to snuff. So is “Eighth Grade” the masterpiece many have made it out to be? Let’s dive in. This is my review of “Eighth Grade”.

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Review: “The Darkest Minds”

By jasonbleau on

The young adult novel adaptation was once at the pinnacle of cinematic popularity. “Harry Potter”, “Twilight” and “The Hunger Games” helped turn the concept into one of the biggest guaranteed cash grabs in Hollywood with every studio trying to grab their own YA franchise the same way they’re trying to copy the Marvel Cinematic Universe now. But somewhere along the way things went wrong and now the YA adaptation is one of the hardest sells in the business with studios trying to revive it more than cash in on it. That brings me to “The Darkest Minds”, 20th Century Fox’s attempt to try and squeeze whatever’s life is left from the YA craze with a formulaic and derivative dystopian adventure that pretty much hits all the notes you would expect, for better or worse. So, does that make “The Darkest Minds” a truly boring retread or does this film stand on its own despite its clichés as a fun big-screen experience? Let’s find out. This is my review of “The Darkest Minds”.

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Review: “The Spy Who Dumped Me”

By jasonbleau on

What do you get when you put together a pair of top notch comedic actresses, a promising female director and a collection of spy genre cliches and action scenes then mix them up in a blender? Something like “The Spy Who Dumped Me”. Directed and co-written by Susanna Fogel and starring Mela Kunis and Kate McKinnon “The Spy Who Dumped Me” offers a bit of everything, melding humor and action with a fish-out-of-water female buddy story trying to tackle multiple genres at the same time. Some critics have even questions whether this movie’s creators knew the identity they wanted to incorporate into this film. So naturally I took a look for myself. How well does this action spy comedy stack up? Let’s find out. This is my review of “The Spy Who Dumped Me”.

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Movie Reviews

Review: “Christopher Robin”

By jasonbleau on

Winnie-the-Pooh is by far one of Disney’s most bankable sources of guaranteed nostalgia. The silly old bear has been ingrained in the minds of young fans for several generations, so it was only a matter of time before the property got the inevitable live-action treatment as part of Disney’s continued efforts to present to bring their most valued properties to literal life. Thus, we have “Christopher Robin”, a film that doesn’t focus so much on the bear but rather his human best friend exploring how Robin reconnects with his childhood friends as an adult. The question is does this film capture the imagination of its source material or just phone in another live action attempt to make more money off of our childhoods? Let’s take a closer look and find out. This is my review of “Christopher Robin”.

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Movie Reviews

Review: “Blindspotting”

By jasonbleau on

America right now is undergoing a new wave of racial divide. Deny it all you want it’s a truth, ironically partially due to the country being split down the middle as to the existence of racism in the country and to what level. Many films have tried and succeeded to capture this this sentiment. Hell, “Sorry to Bother You” is one of the best examples in my opinion just a few weeks ago. But one film has come along recently that avoids taking the issue over the top and instead offers a stripped down approach to the subject that has critics talking. I am of course talking about “Blindspotting” which is the result of years of work and dedication by its stars to bring the story to life. If you’ve heard about this movie you know that many are praising it as a must see and timely film. So I took it upon myself to see what the buzz is all about and form my own opinion on the final product. Here is my review of “Blindspotting”.

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Review: “Teen Titans Go! To the Movies”

By jasonbleau on

I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again. When I decided to make a movie review blog I made a commitment to try and see as many movies as I can because, well, I enjoy going to the movies and I enjoy sharing my thoughts on them. However, I also knew with this commitment would come a need, hell a downright requirement, to see films I didn’t want to see. Sometimes I bend that rule a bit like with the “Fifty Shades” franchise where I just knew I’d hate it and I didn’t feel my opinion would matter because of too much bias. But then there are films like “Teen Titans Go! To the Movies”. Growing up I was a big fan of the original “Teen Titans” animated series and when I saw this…interesting reimagining it broke my heart to see what these characters had become. When I learned that Warner Bros. would be making a movie I thought long and hard about whether or not I wanted to waste my time, but low and behold the film got great reviews so I decided to take a crack at it myself. Without further ado here is my review of “Teen Titans Go! To the Movies”.

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Movie Reviews

Review: “Mission: Impossible – Fallout”

By jasonbleau on

Who would have thought that after 22 years the “Mission: Impossible” franchise would still be alive and well? Over the years this franchise has risen to prominence as a prime competitor for other spy series including the “Bourne” series and the James Bond films. Not only that, it seems to be getting better with every entry keeping up with the quality and fan obsession over its contemporaries and long running classics. This weekend we got the latest addition to the franchise, “Mission: Impossible – Fallout”, which represents a lot of significant firsts for the series. It’s the first movie to be a direct sequel of a previous entry. It’s the first time a director has led more than one entry in the franchise with Christopher McQuarrie directing after also leading “Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation”. It’s also the shortest time between films at three years and it’s the first movie in the franchise to feature a returning villain. In many ways “Fallout” shows that this franchise has finally found its comfort zone, but how does this translate to the big screen? Does “Fallout” rise to the occasion or does it phone it in now that it has a committed audience to pander to? Let’s take a look with my review of “Mission: Impossible – Fallout”.

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Movie Reviews

Review: “Unfriended: Dark Web”

By jasonbleau on

It’s no secret that the found footage genre has worn out its welcome a bit. While it happens to be one of my favorite genres of film I’ll be the first to admit it needs a fresh approach and a few years ago in 2014 we saw glimmers of hope with a little film called “Unfriended”. Four years later we have a stand-alone sequel that revisits the original format of its predecessor but ups the ante by taking things from the paranormal to the dark web. Is this the step forward the found footage genre needed to earn back some credibility or does it squander the chance to stand out as a worthy horror offering? Let’s dive deeper into the darkness. This is my review of “Unfriended: Dark Web”.

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Movie Reviews

Review: “The Equalizer 2”

By jasonbleau on

Denzel Washington is a master of his craft. Even in his worst films he’s always the best thing about them. When he seems to shine the most in modern cinema however is when he is teamed with director Antoine Fuqua who led the actor to three great performances in “Training Day”, “The Equalizer” and “Magnificent Seven”. Now the pair is back with their first sequel in “The Equalizer 2”, a film that sees Washington step into the shoes of vigilante Robert McCall once again. The first movie was a hit thriller in 2014, but how well does this sequel recapture the charm and fun of the first and does it add anything new? Let’s dive in. This is my review of “The Equalizer 2”.

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REVIEW: “Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again”

By jasonbleau on

It’s been ten years since “Mamma Mia!” hit theaters and took the world by storm becoming the highest grossing live action musical ever for the time. Universal Pictures was always interested in continuing the story and now here we are ten years later nearly to the day and that sequel is finally here. With even more ABBA songs incorporated into the plot and new characters and old favorites coming into play “Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again” had an audience and could have easily been a simple retread sequel offering nothing new. Surprisingly it didn’t follow that path, but is this enough to make is a superior second entry in the series or does it fall flat like Pierce Brosnan’s singing in the original? Sorry, bad play joke…Anyways here’s my review of “Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again”.

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