News & Movie Review

***DISCLAIMER*** The following review is entirely my opinion. If you comment (which I encourage you to do) be respectful. If you don't agree with my opinion (or other commenters), that's fine. To each their own. These reviews are not meant to be statements of facts or endorsements, I am just sharing my opinions and my perspective when watching the film and is not meant to reflect how these films should be viewed. Finally, the reviews are given on a scale of 0-5. 0, of course, being unwatchable. 1, being terrible. 2, being not great. 3, being okay. 4, being great and 5, being epic! And if you enjoy these reviews feel free to share them and follow the blog or follow me on Twitter (@RevRonster) for links to my reviews and the occasional live-Tweet session of the movie I'm watching!  More action movies need to make their action sequences impossible to see.   Snake Eyes:   G.I. Joe Origins – 2 out of 5 There are some properties that have stuck with me either my whole li...

15. SUMMER OF SOUL by Questlove - While Woodstock was occurring in 1969 in upstate New York, at the same time the Harlem Cultural Festival was also in full swing. Like with Juneteenth and the Tulsa massacre, it was a bit of Black history that was mostly overlooked in the mainstream. This documentary uncovers the 50-year-old footage that's never be seen and restores it for those who participated and attended. From Stevie Wonder to Nina Simone, it was a concert that represented the Black community in stunning fashion. 14. THE OBITUARY OF TUNDE JOHNSON by Ali LeRoi - This year, Two Distant Strangers  (2020) won the Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film. It was about a young, African American man who is killed by police and upon his death travels back in time to relive the same day and same death all over again. It was Groundhog Day  (1993) meets Black Lives Matter. This film, starring Steven Silver, did that same concept first. In addition to the futility of Black peopl...

Jungle Cruise (2021) Just like “The Country Bears,” “The Haunted Mansion,” and the five “Pirates of the Caribbean” movies before it, “Jungle Cruise” is based on a Disneyland attraction with animatronics. Unlike “The Country Bears,” this isn’t the worst idea for a feature film based on a theme park ride, and movie star charm goes a long way here toward making it a frivolous but rousing romp. Harkening back to the good ol’ days of the summer blockbuster, this is a light-footed, eager-to-please adventure yarn modeled after matinee serials, which were also usually reliant on the charisma and repartee of its starry headliners. Getting around in where it borrows from, besides the ride itself—including “The African Queen,” “The Mummy” (the 1999 one with Brendan Fraser, not that Tom Cruise-starring Dark Universe nonsense) and, of all things, “Anacondas: The Hunt for the Blood Orchid”—“Jungle Cruise” is just fun enough. Emily Blunt and Dwayne Johnson are charming together, bickering and sharin...

The Boy Behind the Door (2021) Horror thrillers are sometimes derided when characters don’t make the wisest decisions in harrowing life-and-death situations. Sure, if we wanted the film to end sooner than it does, the protagonist would listen to the audience shouting helpful advice, like finishing off their captor or run out the front door. “The Boy Behind the Door” might be the most smartly handled when a pair of pre-teen boys are the ones in peril. Most importantly, the decisions feel character-based more so than ways to keep the plot chugging along. After all, they’re just kids.   Writer-directors David Charbonier and Justin Powell send Lonnie Chavis and Ezra Dewey to hell and back, while skillfully having the viewer dig their fingernails into their couch. The two young actors impress as 12-year-old best friends Bobby and Kevin, who are on their way to play in a Little League baseball game until they are kidnapped. When Bobby comes to six hours later in the trunk of a car (with ...

The nominations for the 73rd Primetime Emmys were announced on July 13. HBO and HBO Max combined have 130 nominations. Netflix alone though has 129 nominations total. The other dominant, streaming service is Disney+ and it got 71 nominations. Apple TV+ is the other notable, streaming service this year with 34 nominations. Of the traditional, broadcast networks, NBC is the leader with 46 nominations. Netflix's The Crown  is tied with Disney's The Mandalorian . Both have 24 nominations each. Disney's WandaVision  is the newest, dramatic TV show with the most, banking 23 nominations. Technically, it's a limited series. The newest, drama series with the most nods is actually HBO's  Lovecraft Country . it earned 18 nominations, despite HBO having canceled the series. It ties with Netflix's The Queen's Gambit , which is another limited series that received a lot of buzz when it premiered last fall. Apple's Ted Lasso  is the real headline here. It's the bra...

***DISCLAIMER*** The following review is entirely my opinion. If you comment (which I encourage you to do) be respectful. If you don't agree with my opinion (or other commenters), that's fine. To each their own. These reviews are not meant to be statements of facts or endorsements, I am just sharing my opinions and my perspective when watching the film and is not meant to reflect how these films should be viewed. Finally, the reviews are given on a scale of 0-5. 0, of course, being unwatchable. 1, being terrible. 2, being not great. 3, being okay. 4, being great and 5, being epic! And if you enjoy these reviews feel free to share them and follow the blog or follow me on Twitter (@RevRonster) for links to my reviews and the occasional live-Tweet session of the movie I'm watching!  Candyman 3:  Sure Why Not? Candyman – Day of the Dead – 2 out of 5 After finally checking out the first film and it’s first sequel (read my reviews for them here and here ), I decided to complet...

***DISCLAIMER*** The following review is entirely my opinion. If you comment (which I encourage you to do) be respectful. If you don't agree with my opinion (or other commenters), that's fine. To each their own. These reviews are not meant to be statements of facts or endorsements, I am just sharing my opinions and my perspective when watching the film and is not meant to reflect how these films should be viewed. Finally, the reviews are given on a scale of 0-5. 0, of course, being unwatchable. 1, being terrible. 2, being not great. 3, being okay. 4, being great and 5, being epic! And if you enjoy these reviews feel free to share them and follow the blog or follow me on Twitter (@RevRonster) for links to my reviews and the occasional live-Tweet session of the movie I'm watching!  Okay, say "bye-bye" to the flesh now, honey! Candyman:   Farewell to the Flesh – 2 out of 5 Now that I finally took the time to watch Candyman after I let it pass me by growing up (rea...

Broken Diamonds (2021) There is a set formula within “Broken Diamonds” — the one where estranged siblings must reconcile after the death of a parent and become closer. The one wrinkle is that the sister is schizophrenic, and the brother who felt overshadowed since childhood has to put his self-interest aside to get her the help she needs. Even when frustrating artifice often gets in the way, patches of levity and nuggets of hard truth help steer the pretty predictable route this bittersweet indie takes.   On the night of his surprise going-away party to Paris, restaurant server and aspiring writer Scott Weaver (Ben Platt) gets the call from his father’s second wife Cookie (Yvette Nicole Brown) that Dad has died. Already stunned by the emotional blow of his loss, he eventually has no choice but to take in his schizophrenic older sister, Cindy (Lola Kirke), who is dismissed from her care facility for exceeding her strikes of infractions. They’re not very close anymore, but Scott real...