Movie Reviews

Movie Reviews

Arthur The King is a royally entreating crowd pleaser

Following last year’s action comedy “The Family Plan,” Mark Wahlberg is teaming up again with director Simon Cellan Jones for a heartwarming true story titled “Arthur The King.” Lionsgate is releasing the movie with Michael Brandt as the screenwriter. The screenplay is based on the book “Arthur: The Dog Who Crossed the Jungle to Find a Home” by Mikael Lindnord.

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Donnie Yen swaps his martial arts skills for his dramatic talent in “Polar Rescue”

Donnie Yen, the legendary martial artist, breaks his usual butt-kicking role and showcases his dramatic talent in “Polar Rescue,” a film by Well GO USA, directed and written by Lo Chi-Leung. In this movie, Yen plays Ah De, a man with a seemingly idyllic life with his wife, Xuan (Cecilia Han), and their two children. However, after a minor argument with his son, the boy goes missing, and the situation escalates as local authorities are called to search for him.

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Ordinary Angels is a heartwarming gem

Two Academy Award winner Hilary Swank leads the inspirational drama Ordinary Angeles from Lionsgate. Jon Gunn directed the film, while Meg Tilly and Kelly Fremon Craig wrote the screenplay. Sharon, portrayed by Swank, is a hairdresser from a small town in Kentucky. She is a strong-willed individual but struggles with alcohol addiction. Her boss, also her best friend Rose, played by Tamala Jones, wants Sharon to live up to her full potential. However, she grows tired of Sharon’s constant misbehavior.

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Monolith is a solid thriller

Rising scream queen Lily Sullivan teams up with first-time director Matt Vesel for the latest spookfest, “Monolith”, from Well Go USA. The screenplay hails from Lucy Campbell. At the center of the plot is a nameless protagonist, a disgraced journalist portrayed by Lily Sullivan, who is desperate to restore her reputation and redeem her career.

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Madame Webb fails to swing high

The first superhero film of 2024, “Madame Webb,” directed by S.J. Clarkson, will swing into theaters courtesy of Columbia Pictures. Clarkson co-wrote the screenplay with Claire Parker, Matt Sazama, and Burk Sharples. Dakota Johnson top lines the film as the titular character, which depicts her origin story in a standalone universe.

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Argyle is a fun spy thriller

Director Matthew Vaughn returns to the world of espionage for his latest film, “Argyle” from Universal Pictures. Jason Fuchs pens the screenplay, which, in the simplest of terms, is a razor-witted, reality-bending, globe-encircling spy thriller. Elly Conway, portrayed by Bryce Dallas Howard in the movie, is a reclusive author who has written a series of best-selling espionage novels. She finds solace in spending her evenings alone with her computer and her feline companion, Alfie.

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Pop culture camp references and a solid lead perform can’t save Lisa Frankenstein

Oscar-winning screenwriter Diablo Cody teams up with debuting director Zelda Williams for the horror comedy Lisa Frankenstein from Focus Features. The film is set in 1989 and draws inspiration from Mary Shelley’s novel Frankenstein, or The Modern Prometheus, published in 1818. The story revolves around a teenage goth girl named Lisa (played by Kathryn Newton), who reanimates a nameless corpse from the Victorian era (played by Cole Sprouse).

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Out of Darkness is a bold and ambitious thriller that takes audiences on a captivating journey back to the Stone Age

Horror fans are in for a treat as the chills keep coming in the thriller Out of Darkness from Bleecker Street. Andrew Cumming makes his directorial debut with the film from a script by Ruth Greenberg. Potential viewers should know that the film is subtitled as the dialogue in the movie uses TOLA, invented by poet, historian, and multi-linguist Dr. Daniel Andersson. TOLA stands for ‘The Origin Language’ and is a mix of Arabic and some Basque vocabulary.

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Leah McKendrick delivers an enjoyable debut with Scrambled

In-demand writer Leah McKendrick makes a charming directorial debut in Scrambled from Lionsgate. Nellie Robinson is a woman who has always been there for her friends. She’s the quintessential bridesmaid, constantly attending weddings, baby showers, and other events to support those she cares about. However, despite her willingness to help others find love and happiness, Nellie has yet to discover a way to get into the romance department. She’s been on more bad dates than she can count, and she’s starting to feel like time is running out.

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Jenna Ortega and Martin Freeman star in the tame Miller’s Girl

Writer and director Jade Hallet Bartlett enlists the talents of Martin Freeman and Jenna Ortega to navigate her debut in Miller’s Girl from Lionsgate. The film takes place at a college in the Deep South. It introduces us to Cairo Sweet (Jenna Ortega), a talented young writer who spends her days reading and nights hanging out with her best friend, Winnie (Gideon Adlon).

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Ava DuVernay guides Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor to an career best performance in Origin

Multiple awarding film auteur Ava DuVernay reunites with Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor for the harrowing biographical drama Origin from Neon film. DuVernay also pens the film’s screenplay, which adapts Isabel Wilkerson’s book Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents. Isabel Wilkerson (Ellis-Taylor) has just become the first African American woman to win the Pulitzer Prize in journalism, and fans are clamoring for another book following the success of her first novel, The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America’s Great Migration.

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