Author: ljablesnik

Movie Reviews

‘The Magnificent Seven’ – A Pop-Western for the Modern Age?

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Director Antoine Fuqua (‘Training Day’) and his frequent star Denzel Washington collaborate once again for another high-budget, concept-tweaked remake with modern sensibilities in the newly released, ‘The Magnificent Seven,’ to mostly successful results.  It’s hard to criticize the idea of remaking the classic 1960 western of the same name, as that movie itself was a reimagining of… Continue reading ‘The Magnificent Seven’ – A Pop-Western for the Modern Age?

Movie Reviews

‘Hell or High Water’ – Modern American Crime Classic?

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Sometimes a film comes out of nowhere and just absolutely kills it on every level; the recent wide release, after a well-regarded limited release, of neo-western / noir, ‘Hell or High Water,’ is one such example.  Written by television character actor turned screenwriter, Taylor Sheriden (‘Sicario’), directed by English-born David Mackenzie (‘Starred Up’), and starring Chris Pine, Ben… Continue reading ‘Hell or High Water’ – Modern American Crime Classic?

Streaming Reviews

‘Stranger Things’– Crowd-pleasing Exercise in Nostalgia?

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Netflix dropped the 8-episode, Winona Ryder-starring, 1983-set series, ‘Stranger Things,’ with little of the advance fanfare reserved for its’ popular shows ‘Orange is the New Black,’ ‘House of Cards,’ anything with ‘Marvel’ in its’ title, or even something like its’ re-visit to ‘Full House.’  Perhaps the highly successful network didn’t quite understand the power of… Continue reading ‘Stranger Things’– Crowd-pleasing Exercise in Nostalgia?

Movie Reviews

‘Pete’s Dragon’ – Old-fashioned Remake or New Magical Classic?

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In a year marked by a number of remakes of inconsistent quality (‘Jungle Book’, ‘Ghostbusters’, etc.), Disney’s latest remake, ‘Pete’s Dragon’ stands out as the best by far.  Indie writer / director David Lowery (‘Ain’t Them Bodies Saints’) has taken only the basic idea of the original animation/live action hybrid (a popular trope of the… Continue reading ‘Pete’s Dragon’ – Old-fashioned Remake or New Magical Classic?

Movie Reviews

‘Lights Out’ – A Slight but Effective Horror Movie?

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Expanding on his short film, director David F. Sandberg creates an effective, if small in scope, horror feature, ‘Lights Out.’  The movie works well due to a defined (and quite scary) concept, decent acting, and assured direction in a few contained set pieces.  At a brisk 81 minutes, the movie wastes no time setting up… Continue reading ‘Lights Out’ – A Slight but Effective Horror Movie?

Movie Reviews

‘Suicide Squad’ – The ‘Heroes’ We Deserve Right Now?

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It’s apparent after viewing ‘Suicide Squad’, the newly released, tonally messy but well-cast, mildly diverting WB/DC film, that it was never meant to be the center-piece of the world-build initiated in this past March’s ‘Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice.’  Designed to be a side-piece revolving around villains forcibly indentured into government service, based on… Continue reading ‘Suicide Squad’ – The ‘Heroes’ We Deserve Right Now?

Movie Reviews

‘Star Trek – Beyond’ – A Slick but Slight Episode?

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The third entry into the modern re-imagining of the sci-fi classic series, ‘Star Trek – Beyond,’ is a polished, if somewhat by-the-numbers, episodic outing of a franchise that appears to be humming along well.  The stage was set by director, now producer, J.J.Abrams, who worked with his writers and actors to forge a series that may be… Continue reading ‘Star Trek – Beyond’ – A Slick but Slight Episode?

Movie Reviews

‘Ghostbusters’ – Fresh Franchise Restart or Unnecessary Nostalgia-Fest?

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The all-female led, 2016 version of the 1984 classic, ‘Ghostbusters,’ benefits from a very funny cast of comedians and state-of-the-art effects (particularly the proton packs and new weaponry), yet suffers under the specter of nostalgia that it insists on forcing to evoke.  When director Paul Feig (‘Bridesmaids’) allows the four hilarious ladies (Kristen Wiig, Melissa… Continue reading ‘Ghostbusters’ – Fresh Franchise Restart or Unnecessary Nostalgia-Fest?

Television Reviews

‘Game of Thrones’ Season 6 – Treading Unknown Territory in Glorious Fashion?

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After last season five’s devastating finale episode, and due to the fact that the show had caught up to author George R.R. Martin’s novels, it was easy to be worried about the direction of the sixth season of this fan-favorite and massive hit series for HBO.  It’s hard to know what elements were or were not part of… Continue reading ‘Game of Thrones’ Season 6 – Treading Unknown Territory in Glorious Fashion?

Movie Reviews

‘Finding Dory’ – Hilarious and Heartfelt Return to the Sea?

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It’s been 13 years since ‘Finding Nemo’ ruled theaters and really catapulted Pixar into the stratosphere of quality family entertainment.  ‘Toy Story’ may be the original masterpiece, but ‘Nemo’ showcased what the studio could produce both technically and creatively, it being the most Disney-friendly feature it had produced in tone at the time.  In effect… Continue reading ‘Finding Dory’ – Hilarious and Heartfelt Return to the Sea?