By John Corrado Between the Temples, the latest work from director and co-writer Nathan Silver, is a sort of indie screwball comedy that reinvents that old trope of finding yourself through an unconventional relationship. The two figures at the centre of it are Ben Gottlieb (Jason Schwarzman), a cantor at his synagogue who has found… Read More Movie Review: Between the Temples
By John Corrado In her confident feature directorial debut Good One, emerging filmmaker India Donaldson uses the premise of a father-daughter camping trip to offer an engaging, fascinatingly stripped down character study. The protagonist is Sam (Lily Collias), a 17-year-old girl who ends up on a weekend camping trip to the Catskills with her dad… Read More Movie Review: Good One
By John Corrado The seventh instalment in the Alien franchise that began in 1979, Alien: Romulus is a spinoff sequel that is set somewhere between the events of Ridley Scott’s Alien and James Cameron’s 1986 followup Aliens. Directed by Fede Alvarez (Don’t Breathe, the Evil Dead remake), Romulus shares a lot of DNA with Scott’s… Read More Movie Review: Alien: Romulus
By John Corrado The fifth film in Australian filmmaker George Miller’s operatic action anthology, Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga is a prequel to his Oscar-winning 2015 film Mad Max: Fury Road, that finds him returning to the post-apocalyptic wasteland of the decades-old series. Starring Anya Taylor-Joy as a younger version of Charlize Theron’s Imperator Furiosa,… Read More 4K Ultra HD Review: Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga
By John Corrado The sophomore effort from German writer-director Tilman Singer, Cuckoo is an intentionally bizarre horror movie that draws upon the metaphorical symbolism of the titular cuckoo bird to reimagine genre tropes through Singer’s more unique vision. Our heroine is Gretchen (Hunter Schafer), a 17-year-old girl who travels to Germany with her father (Marton… Read More Movie Review: Cuckoo
By John Corrado Eli Roth, the actor turned filmmaker who is mostly known for his bloody slasher movies, now takes a stab at directing a video game adaptation with Borderlands. But, in bringing the titular franchise to the screen, Roth struggles mightily to overcome the curse of most video game adaptations. The result is a… Read More Movie Review: Borderlands
By John Corrado The title of Sing Sing refers to the Sing Sing Correctional Facility in New York, located on the Hudson River. But the film’s title, with its evocation of music and singing, also serves as a jubilant nod to the spirited performances being staged by the men within the maximum security prison. It’s… Read More Movie Review: Sing Sing
By John Corrado Directed by Sam Taylor-Johnson (Nowhere Boy, Fifty Shades of Grey), Back to Black is a biopic of British singer Amy Winehouse, who passed away at age 27 from alcohol poisoning. The film is named after her (still incredible) Grammy-winning 2006 album Back to Black, which catapulted her from working-class Camden girl to… Read More Blu-ray Review: Back to Black (Collector’s Edition)
By John Corrado Please note that this is a review of the Blu-ray release of Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire. For my full thoughts on the film itself, you can read my original review right here. After a successful run in theatres, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment has now released Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire on physical media, including Blu-ray.… Read More Blu-ray Review: Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire
By John Corrado Fashioned as a love letter to Hollywood stunt doubles, The Fall Guy is a mildly entertaining but ultimately uneven romantic action comedy from director David Leitch (Deadpool 2, Bullet Train). Ryan Gosling stars in the film as Colt Seavers, who is the main stunt double for Tom Ryder (Aaron Taylor-Johnson), an arrogant… Read More Blu-ray Review: The Fall Guy
By John Corrado There is a lot riding on Deadpool & Wolverine, the latest entry into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The film not only serves as the third movie in the Deadpool franchise, but also officially brings the potty-mouthed Wade Wilson (Ryan Reynolds) into the fold of the MCU, following Disney’s acquisition of studio 20th… Read More Movie Review: Deadpool & Wolverine
By John Corrado In 1996, audiences were taken into the world of “storm chasers” in the summer blockbuster Twister, a film that used the dramatic effects of severe weather to drum up excitement, while grounding itself in the relationships between a group of characters. Since legacy sequels are all the rage these days, we now… Read More Movie Review: Twisters
By John Corrado The latest inspirational sports movie from Disney, the Jerry Bruckheimer-produced Young Woman and the Sea is based on the true story of pioneering female swimmer Trudy Ederle, who became the first woman to swim across the 21 mile English Channel in 1926. Daisy Ridley (who most notably played Rey in the Disney… Read More Movie Review: Young Woman and the Sea (Disney+)
By John Corrado The feature debut of music video director Luke Gilford, National Anthem is an engaging portrait of outcasts who desperately want their part of the American Dream, but have to carve out their own piece of it. Entrenched in the world of cowboys and rodeos, Gilford’s film is steeped in Americana, but explored… Read More Movie Review: National Anthem
By John Corrado The latest film from Italian filmmaker Luca Guadagnino (Call Me By Your Name, Bones and All), Challengers is a smart, stylish tennis drama built around a trio of captivating performances from Zendaya, Josh O’Connor and Mike Faist. Zendaya stars in the film as Tashi Duncan, a former tennis rising star who is… Read More Blu-ray Review: Challengers
By John Corrado The title of director Hannah Pearl Utt’s (Before You Know It) sophomore feature Cora Bora refers to the affectionate nickname given to Cora (Megan Stalter), a millennial musician struggling to make it in Los Angeles. Following the breakdown of her moderately successful band, Cora is now trying to strike a solo record… Read More Movie Review: Cora Bora
By John Corrado The latest film from writer-director Osgood Perkins (The Blackcoat’s Daughter, Gretel and Hansel), Longlegs is a deeply unsettling mix of horror movie and police procedural, unfolding with a suffocating atmosphere that keeps us invested right from the chilling opening flashback. Maika Monroe (The Guest, It Follows) stars in the film as Lee… Read More Movie Review: Longlegs
By John Corrado Directed by the Radio Silence duo of Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, who are on hiatus from the last two entries in the Scream franchise, Abigail is a very bloody and slightly tongue-in-cheek riff on vampire movies. The film follows a group of criminals who end up in way over their heads… Read More Blu-ray Review: Abigail (Collector’s Edition)
By John Corrado Eddie Murphy returns to one of his most iconic characters in Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F. The Netflix-backed legacy sequel finds the comic actor reprising his role as Axel Foley, the Detroit cop with his own way of doing things who ends up transplanted to Beverly Hills. Arriving forty years after the… Read More Movie Review: Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F (Netflix)
By John Corrado A Quiet Place: Day One is a very solid prequel to director John Krasinski’s first two thrillers, which were built around the gimmick of people needing to stay silent lest they get eaten by monsters with super-hearing. This film is written and directed by Michael Sarnoski (taking over from Krasinski, who helped… Read More Movie Review: A Quiet Place: Day One
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