‘Winchester’: true story squandered for cheap horror flick
February 6, 2018
Filed under Lifestyles
GRADE: D Is there nothing Helen Mirren can’t do? The Oscar-winning actress has portrayed English queens, assassins and animated creatures in a career that has lasted over 50 years. To be frank, she’s an English legend. But it appears one of the things she still has yet to successfully tra...
‘The Shape of Water’: monster movie makes for enchanting romance
February 6, 2018
Filed under Lifestyles
GRADE: A On the surface, you wouldn’t expect a movie like “The Shape of Water” to be anything close to an awards film, one engineered to win Oscars and other such over-hyped recognition. The movie has a respectable cast: previous Oscar-nominee Sally Hawkins leads, and is joined by Octavi...
‘Maze Runner: The Death Cure’: a strong(ish) end for film trilogy
January 31, 2018
Filed under Lifestyles
Editor’s Note: The grading system used here is similar to the 10-point scale used in SDSU courses. GRADE: C+ Young adult sci-fi novels peaked with “The Hunger Games” trilogy. Past that point, everything has been a bit downhill. We’ve had “Divergent,” “Mortal Instruments” and now ...
‘The Commuter’: fast, fun, flippant action ride
January 24, 2018
Filed under Lifestyles
GRADE: B- Who would have thought that 24 years after Liam Neeson was nominated for the best actor Oscar for “Schindler’s List” he would be starring in small action films like “The Commuter?” What’s really surprising is films like it are actually high points in Neeson’s career, and “T...
DC, Disney, Dinosaurs: Top 10 anticipated films of 2018
January 24, 2018
Filed under Lifestyles
Editor’s Note: This list was made subjectively by the reporter who viewed web traffic, fan interest, media attention and overall appeal for films being released later this year. 10. X-Men: Dark Phoenix - Nov. 2 “Dark Phoenix” takes the X-Men where they’ve never been before: space. While...
Top 10 films of 2017 make grand statements, tackle issues
January 17, 2018
Filed under Lifestyles
Editor’s Note: This list was made subjectively and done by the reporter who viewed these films in the time available to them. Not every film from the year was seen, including those that received a limited release in select cities. 10. Wind River There were few more gruesome films released in 2017 th...
‘Murder on the Orient Express:’ whodunit mystery gone off-track
November 15, 2017
Filed under Lifestyles
Editor’s Note: The grading system used here is similar to the 10-point scale used in SDSU courses. GRADE: C+ In today’s age of multi-million dollar blockbuster franchises, everyone is a detective. Everyone is able to pick up on plot holes within stories and inconsistencies in characters. Our mass co...
“Thor: Ragnarok”: a mix of thunderous gods and silly humor
November 8, 2017
Filed under Lifestyles
Editor’s Note: The grading system used here is similar to the 10-point scale used in SDSU courses. GRADE: B- Thor has always been a strange character for the Marvel Cinematic Universe. His first appearance in the Marvel films came in 2011, when his origin story was fleshed out at the sta...
“Jigsaw”: morally questionable and a torture to watch
November 2, 2017
Filed under Lifestyles
Editor’s Note: The grading system used here is similar to the 10-point scale used in SDSU courses. GRADE: D+ I have no idea what compels people to watch “torture porn” horror films. Let’s be clear, I adore good horror films. But do I enjoy watching fictional people being put through an excess...
“Geostorm”: a disaster of a film, boring and predictable
October 25, 2017
Filed under Lifestyles
Editor’s Note: The grading system used here is similar to the 10-point scale used in SDSU courses. GRADE: F Contrary to what people might think, most movie critics don’t enjoy reviewing horrible movies. It’s more fun to try to inspire people to see something new and exciting, something we’re...
“Blade Runner 2049”: best film of the year, visionary sci-fi
October 18, 2017
Filed under Lifestyles
Editor’s Note: The grading system used here is similar to the 10-point scale used in SDSU courses. GRADE: A+ There’s an effective test you can try to find out if a film is something special. You’re sitting in a theater, engrossed in a film, and you notice you haven’t gone to the bathroom in a...
“Kingsman: The Golden Circle”: duller than its predecessor
September 30, 2017
Filed under Lifestyles
Editor’s Note: The grading system used here is similar to the 10-point scale used in SDSU courses. GRADE: C In 2014, a sleek, action-packed spy film arrived at the February box office. Like a well-tailored Englishman, the film was smart and packed a punch, offering an original story and enticing fight scenes. It w...
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