2016. Written and Directed by M. Night Shyamalan.
I can’t recommend this movie at all; it was so utterly stupid and unbelievable, and a shame because I really wanted to like this director’s latest.
Thumbs Down 👎
2016. Directed by Kelly Fremon Craig. Written by Kelly Fremon Craig.
Coming-of-age movies are always fun ('80s = Breakfast Club/Pretty in Pink/Heathers, '90s = Clueless, '00s = Mean Girls) and in 2017, I really loved the Edge of 17. Today's darn kids have just as much neurosis, as many parental and adult relationship issues. There are hilarious lol moments, awkward moments, and the moments when you realize who's really worth loving. Hailee Steinfeld is a joy to watch.
Thumbs Up 👍
Sometimes a film buckles under the weight of the story, and as a Cary Fukunaga fan, I really wanted to like Beasts of No Nation, but it was slow, about 45 minutes too long, and lacked the “gripping” scenes it was touted to have. Amid the Terrence Malick-like auteurism, It's worth watching for awareness, as it tells of a rising rebel faction in an unnamed war-torn African country, so there’s that. Otherwise, Idris Elba saves the film as a lecherous and militaristic leader, but overall it just fails to absorb. Meh 😐
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This docudrama debunks what we've been sold about Kurt Cobain’s suicide, suggesting instead that homicide was the cause of death, with fingers pointed at Courtney Love. For any Gen X’er, Cobain was a music icon and Nirvana the catalyst of mid ‘90s grunge rock. Interviews with friends, and private and crime scene investigators, assert that the Seattle Police Department bungled the entire case. We learn Cobain was of a happy disposition leading up to his death, and was planning on leaving Love and removing her from his will; their pre-nup would have left her with very little. Instead, Cobain died, and Love continues to benefit from his estate—to this day valued at up to a billion dollars in ongoing royalty payments. Thumbs Up 👍
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The incredible story of identical twin sisters separated at birth, adopted by two different families across the world, only to learn of each other by a chance sighting in a YouTube video. More astounding is the twins' intrinsic similarity, despite their cross-cultural backgrounds; a zero-ing in on the concept of "nature vs nurture." A beautiful, emotional ride and a top documentary of the year. Thumbs Up 👍
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Laugh-out-loud moments, a killer soundtrack, millennial plight and the first-generation American experience make this series pure binge-worthy joy. We join Dev Shah (Aziz Ansari) and his best friends in their tech-enabled lifestyles, hip New York haunts, pop culture musings, romantic escapades, and discussions on the uncertainties of independent, modern love. We also get a taste of what it's like for "brown dudes" trying to make it in mainstream entertainment. Thumbs Up 👍
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Don’t let the opening credits fool you; Narcos isn’t as salacious as implied. Instead, Season 1 presents early political and familial influences on Pablo Escobar (Brazilian actor Wagner Moura) and the rise of the Medellín drug cartel. Scenes can be dialogue-heavy and slow, with a diverse cast of dubious accents. The story, costumes, set-design, and lush backdrop of Escobar-era Medellin hold you just enough to keep watching. Meh 😐
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