A new Shakespeare film offered the perfect opportunity for me to return to writing reviews and to my roots as a college English major.
What’s It About? After a chance encounter with a mysterious group of witches, Scottish warrior Macbeth is driven to murder his king and seize the crown for himself, with dire consequences for all involved.
STRAIGHT UP: Somber and violent, soulless and boring. 2/5
I should be reviewing Oscar contenders by now, but I prefer to watch schlock instead. (At least I’m honest!)
What’s It About? When his friend Dolan 36th is struck by a fatal curse, immortal warrior Kaulder swears to seek and destroy the witches behind the act.
STRAIGHT UP: Furious 7 it ain’t. 1/5
WWE’s Dean Ambrose is one of my favorite wrestlers, and I didn’t want to miss his film debut.
What’s It About? When troubled cop John Shaw discovers evidence of a drug-smuggling operation in his precinct, corrupt officers lock down the building and force Shaw to shoot his way out.
STRAIGHT UP: An all-around disappointment. 1/5
A special screening in D.C. gave me the chance to see this movie, which beat Jurassic World head-to-head at the Japanese box office.
What’s It About? Nine girls who found fame performing as pop stars at their high school must deal with the consequences of their now-global popularity.
STRAIGHT UP: This is all it took to take over Tokyo? 3/5
Another limited-release DBZ movie means it’s time for another special review!
What’s It About? The legendary villain Frieza is resurrected by the Dragon Balls, and attacks the Earth to get revenge against Goku and his friends.
STRAIGHT UP: I liked it. Not deep, but very action-packed. 3.5/5
Let’s mark the changing seasons with the last summer blockbuster of the year.
What’s It About? Corporate thief Scott Lang is hired by a reclusive scientist to become the shrinking hero Ant-Man and prevent powerful tech secrets from falling into the wrong hands.
STRAIGHT UP: Fun, but weightless. 3/5
I had a personal interest in this indie horror movie, which was written by and stars some people I admire from the pro wrestling community.
What’s It About? A young couple, Ada and Calvin, travel to Ada’s rural hometown to try and sort out some issues – but once they get there, they find that something’s not right…
STRAIGHT UP: I wanted more than this film could give me. 3/5
Do I really need to justify seeing a movie with Chris Pratt and velociraptors in it?
What’s It About? The Jurassic World theme park faces a crisis when its latest attraction, a genetically-engineered super dinosaur, escapes its paddock.
STRAIGHT UP: The best Jurassic Park offering since the original. 4/5
A special review – this film, released in Japanese theaters earlier this year, was shown with English subtitles on my recent All Nippon Airways flight to Tokyo.
What’s It About? Haunted by a classmate’s mysterious death and dissatisfied with the police investigation, Ryoko Fujino decides to hold a trial at her school to find out if one of her fellow students is a murderer.
STRAIGHT UP: Like a two-hour trailer for a different, better movie. 1.5/5
The Disney hype machine convinced me to see this one.
What’s It About? Frank, Casey, and Athena – three prodigious inventors from the past, present, and future – must travel through space and time to find the utopian city of Tomorrowland and prevent a global disaster.
STRAIGHT UP: Frustrating and inconsistent. 1.5/5
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