Movie Burner Entertainment

Though the film is fairly light on characterisation, the performances are good. When they aren’t snapping limbs, the three protagonists are congenially likeable and empathetic. Both Adkins and White look like they’re having a great time tearing things up, relishing their roles as villains. On the other hand, Jade can only do so much with her thankless role as “the woman in jeopardy” (including an eye-rolling scene where she’s hampered by high heels). This episode is also available as a blog post: http://movieburnerentertainment.org/2019/05/14/triple-threat-review/

Just like the original was a form-fitted vehicle to cash in on Mel Gibson’s charisma, What Men Want does likewise for Taraji P. Henson. As such, it delivers exactly as expected, though nothing more. We’ve seen it all before, but for the most part, the film is congenial, undemanding fun. However, you should probably put the kids to bed, first. This episode is also available as a blog post: http://movieburnerentertainment.org/2019/05/11/night-shift-review/

Just like the original was a form-fitted vehicle to cash in on Mel Gibson’s charisma, What Men Want does likewise for Taraji P. Henson. As such, it delivers exactly as expected, though nothing more. We’ve seen it all before, but for the most part, the film is congenial, undemanding fun. However, you should probably put the kids to bed, first. This episode is also available as a blog post: http://movieburnerentertainment.org/2019/05/06/what-men-want-review/

The Process Trilogy is well worth your time. An important viewing experience calls for aggressive criticism, but I’m only hard on this film because I appreciate so much of what they’re trying to do here. Algorithm or no, The Process Trilogy has a poignant story to tell with a visual style that pays tribute to a classic era of filmmaking that isn’t often seen today. If this is ChewBoy Productions Trip To The Moon, I very much look forward to watching this team collaborate on their next project in the hopes that it will be bigger and even more deliberate. If I can bet money on one thing, their next work will be nothing if not unique. This episode is also available as a blog post: http://movieburnerentertainment.org/2019/05/04/the-process-trilogy-review/

Dragged Across Concrete is a work that will discomfit many audiences. Just the inclusion of Mel Gibson is enough to disturb some viewers. The film also includes many racist remarks and the kind of commentary that won’t gain fans in the world of media and print journalism. Some characters also appear in white-face, and Zahler doesn’t mind manipulating the audience into feeling some sore emotion. But here is a very competent film that flouts conventional expressions and even has the guts (plenty of guts indeed) to rework an old genre and pull it off with unbridled and tireless exactness. This episode is also available as a blog post: http://movieburnerentertainment.org/2019/05/04/dragged-across-concrete-review/

The visuals are acceptable, the ghosts have some believability to them. The acting is at times blah and doesn’t seem to WANT to push the story along as I found myself leaving the room for brief periods to return and really not have missed much of anything at all. This episode is also available as a blog post: http://movieburnerentertainment.org/2019/04/27/cold-moon-review/

Throughout, the Sisters’ Brothers journey to San Francisco is fraught with turmoil and the travails of the dangerous territory. Between night-scrawling spiders, duplicitous bordello owners, and dying horses, they can’t catch a good break. Charlie is just about ready to puke his guts up once and for all, while Eli seems to be on the verge of a hopelessness he may never outlast. Eventually they cross paths with Morris and Hermann Warm, and the ties of the plot come undone in scenes that are equally tense and sad. This episode is also available as a blog post: http://movieburnerentertainment.org/2019/04/26/the-sisters-brothers-review/

Replicas remains fairly enjoyable, perhaps more so at home, where the viewer is less likely to feel short-changed by the unfortunate decision to dumb things down toward the end. Until then, the film offers-up some interesting ideas, even raising a few moral questions we might feel compelled to ask ourselves if forced to make similar decisions. This episode is also available as a blog post: http://movieburnerentertainment.org/2019/04/22/replicas-review/

Best of all, there isn’t a cynical moment in the entire film. Despite the title – a play on Kipling’s unrelated novel – this isn’t so-much a kiddie flick as it is an epic adventure that just happens to be suitable for the entire family. It’s a damn shame we live in a world where this tanks at the box office while The Emoji Movie rakes in millions (oops…I’m letting the curmudgeon in me show again). On the other hand, Willy Wonka and The Iron Giant were initially bombs and now everybody loves them. Maybe The Kid Who Would Be King can find the audience it deserves on home video, too, or else they might not make ‘em like this anymore. This episode is also available as a blog post: http://movieburnerentertainment.org/2019/04/18/the-kid-who-would-be-king-review/

This movie overall is fun, cringy, very formulaic and cheesy.  The action kicks off pretty much from the start and let’s up only to toss is some character backstory. The action itself is good, not great.  The CGI is actually pretty good as well, aside from one glaring use which comes in the form of one of our heroes. This episode is also available as a blog post: http://movieburnerentertainment.org/2019/04/15/guardians-review/

Zachary Levi absolutely owns the role of the adult Billy.  His expressions and his delivery of his lines are spot on.  His earnest portrayal of Shazam sells this film.  This movie would live or die on his believability as a boy in a man’s body and boy does he hit a homerun!  He was born to play this role! This episode is also available as a blog post: http://movieburnerentertainment.org/2019/04/09/shazam-review/

The twist ending – which feels attached as an obligation after Get Out – does not illuminate everything that precedes it, as the best twists do, but instead it just creates more contradictions in the story. In end the film adds up to nothing more than a hollow exercise; an underwhelming story with few genuine thrills and a complicated palette of ideas that submit the viewer into antipathy. This episode is also available as a blog post: http://movieburnerentertainment.org/2019/04/06/us-review-2/

Triple Threat is by no means the film it likely could have been say 10yrs ago when the cast had that much more youth to them.  Some of the combat isn’t crisp but the action delivered is brutally enjoyable.  Overall, this is a good time killer and you get a great cast of action stars mixing it up. This episode is also available as a blog post: http://movieburnerentertainment.org/2019/03/28/triple-threat-review-2/

I wouldn’t go so far as to say The Vault is ruined by this scene. However, in addition to being completely unnecessary, it doesn’t really jibe with the story’s basic premise. Until then, the film is interesting enough to make it worth checking out. Just shut it off right before that final scene (you’ll know the moment when it comes). This episode is also available as a blog post: http://movieburnerentertainment.org/2019/03/26/the-vault-review-2/

Us is the type of movie I hate to grade. In certain regards, it’s a technical masterpiece that demonstrates exactly why Jordan Peele is hailed as a modern cinematic genius. In other regards, it showcases one of the most frustrating narratives of the year thus far. Regardless, it makes me feel guilty as a critic to prod a filmmaker that consistently makes audiences applaud mid-viewing. Peele’s films are so infectious and exhilarating that it feels almost wrong to judge. But at the same time, those praises of his ability to captivate are exactly why he must be held to a high standard. I have no doubt that Peele is a filmmaker to watch as he continues this journey in his career. And even if Us is not my most critically adored film, I still recommend experiencing it with an audience solely so you can feel the same mesmerising quality that Peele makes look so effortless. This episode is also available as a blog post: http://movieburnerentertainment.org/2019/03/23/us-review/

There are also moments of tenderness and quietude where Joe resigns himself to the depths his soul has withered to but despite this he decides to continue on his journey. I will not reveal the details of these scenes or the films tense and nightmarish climax. What is left, however, as the credits role is an incontrovertible diktat on violence. We see how a chaotic environment does not make an animal of man but rather awakens the sleeping beast that exists within all of us. Some are forced by circumstance to unleash that animal while others bear witness to the chaos that is left behind. As tortured as Joe’s existence is, we ought to be glad he has guided his animal on the path of goodness because it might just be a more dangerous animal in another person’s hands. This episode is also available as a blog post: http://movieburnerentertainment.org/2019/03/16/you-were-never-really-here-review/

While The Quake succumbs to a few genre tropes that The Wave mostly managed to avoid, it’s an entertaining film that gives patient disaster fans their money’s worth and is definitely worth seeking out. Since a few recurring characters are its only connecting thread, it works as both a sequel and a stand-alone story. This episode is also available as a blog post: http://movieburnerentertainment.org/2019/03/11/the-quake-review/

It’s an interesting oddity, but the total lack of explanation for any of the hows or whys left me feeling it could’ve been so much better with a little more context, and there was so much more that could’ve been done to enhance the ending given the pieces in play. This episode is also available as a blog post: http://movieburnerentertainment.org/2019/03/10/the-hole-in-the-ground-review/

My eyes rolled halfway into my head, during a scene where Carol is tossing bad guys left and right just as No Doubt’s “Just a Girl” plays in the background!  I am not kidding!  Subtle this is not!  Besides the observations of lack of chemistry or good humor, this movie just bored me.  I did not feel any stakes, never for one second felt that Carol was challenged, she overcame any and all obstacles with nearly zero effort. This episode is also available as a blog post: http://movieburnerentertainment.org/2019/03/09/captain-marvel-review/

I suppose that’s not necessarily a bad thing, but it does render the inevitability of the climax rather underwhelming. Still, Burning is mostly worthwhile. The film is sometimes quite fascinating, mostly due to the performances and subtle tension created in key scenes. I just wish it would have gotten to the point a little sooner than it actually does. This episode is also available as a blog post: http://movieburnerentertainment.org/2019/03/05/burning-review/

The young leads may prove off-putting for many fantasy fans, even though they’re dealing with the same issues teenage and even grown-up heroes are still dealing with. There is a good deal of wish-fulfilment in many SFF fans, so those who dream of finding themselves in Han Solo’s shoes (and Princess Leia’s arms), probably don’t dream of being a short, bullied twelve year-old, so this film may have trouble earning back its budget, which is a shame, because it’s really quite impressive and the sort of thing I wish got made more often in Blighty. This episode is also available as a blog post: http://movieburnerentertainment.org/2019/03/04/the-kid-who-would-be-king-review-2/

In many ways it’s the classic story of the aging boxer who thinks he has one more fight left in him. The duo know their routines inside out, and Coogan and Reilly recreate these better than I have ever seen anyone do them, but the years of physical comedy, his weight issues and his heavy drinking, have left Ollie with bad knees and a dodgy heart. So it’s a case of the spirit being willing, but the body just not being able anymore. This episode is also available as a blog post: http://movieburnerentertainment.org/2019/03/04/stan-ollie-review/

Rampant does share a few qualities with Train to Busan that draw favourable comparison. First, the story takes time establishing its main characters (though some might say too much time). Lee Chung’s transformation from arrogant prince to heroic zombie slayer is engaging. While his comic-relief sidekick, Hak-soo (Jeong Man-sik), isn’t particularly funny, his sheer likability sets-up one of the story’s most poignant moments. Kim Ja-joon may not be the most complex villain to ever grace the screen, but he’s suitably hateful & menacing. Like the best films of the genre, Rampant’s real monsters aren’t the zombies. This episode is also available as a blog post: http://movieburnerentertainment.org/2019/02/27/rampant-review/

Visually, Alita is a jewel best viewed in 3D IMAX if you have the option available.  The only drawback to the use of heavy CG comes during the Motorball event in which many of the characters look a tad cartoonish in a way but it doesn’t by any means take away from the overall feel of the movie.  Coming in at two hrs the end actually feels like it came too early and will likely leave you wanting more. This episode is also available as a blog post: http://movieburnerentertainment.org/2019/02/18/alita-battle-angel-review/

Overlord is sort-of the action-horror equivalent of a Denny’s visit, brought to your table just as advertised and prepared by cooks who may not be Bobby Flay, but at-least their way around a griddle. The cooks in this case are director Julius Avery, producer J.J. Abrams and screenwriters Billy Ray & Mark L. Smith, who’ve put together a heaping, greasy plate o’ bloody horror, violent action and just enough character development so we care who lives or dies. This episode is also available as a blog post: http://movieburnerentertainment.org/2019/02/16/overlord-review/

While the direction is understated, often echoing the works of Cianfrance in its quiet demeanor, Lewis and Thomas add a lot of personality into the anxiety induced by the camera. The way the shots often linger on Katie’s boiling frustration, locking down her pacing with stewing medium closeups as she struggles to maintain stability, adds to the internal dilemma of the audience. The aforementioned question: “What would I do?” It gives us pause. Because at first glance, you may say to yourself that you would never consider something so dastardly. But the longer the film presses on, the more you attempt to rationalize. Until we ultimately feel culpable. The White Lie passes on to us. And in that aim, this is a film that undoubtably succeeds. Catch it on Amazon Prime for a rental price that is well worth its cost. This episode is also available as a blog post: http://movieburnerentertainment.org/2021/02/13/white-lie-review/

Dugan does deserve props for one thing…he managed to attract a pretty decent cast. I’m not sure how he pulled it off, because Love, Weddings & Other Disasters is…well, a disaster. It’s an interminable, laugh-free endurance test with artificial characters, erratic pacing and moments of shallow sentimentality. The most prominent name in the credits gets most of the blame. This episode is also available as a blog post: http://movieburnerentertainment.org/2021/02/13/love-weddings-other-disasters-review/

"Whether or not you align with the experimental nature of the film, the technical prowess (even for a short so isolated and simplistic in scope) is remarkable. ChewBoy productions remains an ambitious, uniquely bizarre, indie film group unafraid to embrace the delightfully weird Duplass-ian grassroots that make experimental film so interesting. The Zizz is one part The Puffy Chair with a small dash of Last Year at Mariebad and slight tonal similarities to THX 1138. It’s an enigmatic amalgamation of themes that universally offer solace in understanding—an acknowledgement that the internal dilemmas, the suffering we feel inside, may actually be a shared experience. Perhaps, in that way, The Zizz (in what it represents) doesn’t have to feel so daunting." This episode is also available as a blog post: http://movieburnerentertainment.org/2021/02/18/the-zizz-review/