Dog’s Movie House: What To See, What To Avoid!
Howdy Folks! It’s The Kendog with some capsule reviews to make up for my unfortunate absences lately. You can always check out my in-depth reviews on my radio show, also known as Dog’s Movie House, at America Matters Media by clicking on this link here!
Dog’s Movie House: “Game Night,” “Annihilation” Great Options Despite Getting Buried By The “Panther.”
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Rachel McAdams Gets Her Gun On In “Game Night”
Sometimes very good films have the unfortunate task of following a phenomenon. “Black Panther” is breaking records and is rapidly becoming the cinematic story of the year, but it’s far from the only good movie out there! This week there are two outstanding new films that deserve to be seen on the big screen and, unfortunately, will have plenty of seats available as “Panther” continues to dominate in its second week. If you want something different, I recommend “Game Night” and “Annihilation” for your viewing pleasure.
Dog’s Movie House: “Black Panther” Great Comic Book Movie: Not Quite The Second Coming!
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Chadwick Boseman In “Black Panther”
Ever since Chadwick Boseman suited up as the Wakandan superhero The Black Panther in “Captain America: Civil War” folks have been quite excited to see T’Challa return in a solo film of his own. Now that time has finally arrived and my fellow critics are falling all over themselves telling everyone how revolutionary “Black Panther” is, calling the film a game changer and as important to racial equality as King’s March In Selma. (Well, maybe not that last part, but you get the idea.) Now as a middle-aged white dude I’m in no position to speculate about the influence this movie will have on African-American moviegoers. I do know that “Black Panther” is an excellent film that does several different things from other Marvel films while firmly entrenching itself in the greater Marvel Universe. As good as “Black Panther” is, it’s still just a movie though.
Dog’s Movie House: “Winchester Provides Solid, Old-Fashioned Thrills!”
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Helen Mirren in “Winchester”
The saying “they don’t make them like they used to,” is often reserved for old fuddy-duddies like me who grew up during the 80’s and have a love of all things cinematic during that time. It was the era of Spielberg, Lucas, Tobe Hooper, Richard Donner, and John Carpenter, among others. They are obviously legendary directors but the fog of nostalgia has a tendency for us to transform them into cinematic deities. As we get older, we think that nothing new could possibly compare to what came before and often we are proved right when the latest slam-bang, CGI-fueled piece of soulless entertainment comes our way. Fortunately, every once and awhile a film comes along that reminds us that, yes, they occasionally “make them like they used to.” In this case the film is “Winchester,” a good old fashioned haunted house movie.
Dog’s Movie House – What’s New For January 19th!
Howdy Folks! It’s The Kendog with two new releases this week in the cinema!
Chris Hemsworth In “12 Strong”
First off we’ve got “12 Strong” the true tale of twelve soldiers led by Mitch Nelson (Chris Hemsworth) in the first, top secret fight against the Taliban just after 9/11. Directed by Nicolai Fuglsig from a script by Ted Tally and Peter Craig (based upon Doug Stanton’s “Horse Soldiers), “12 Strong” is surprisingly light on character development given the fact that it’s based on a true story. It feels more like a patriotic propaganda piece than a true-life experience and it takes away from the emotion one might feel if the characters were a little more fleshed out. Hemsworth leads a cast that includes Michael Shannon, Michael Pena and William Fichtner, but all of these talented actors are trapped in cardboard, clichéd characters. The best performance goes to Navid Negahban as General Dostum, the Afghani warlord charged with helping the Americans fight the Taliban. Negahban has a sense a gravitas that helps improve Hemsworth’s performance as Nelson. The two have good chemistry and serves as a reminder of how good the film would have been if the rest of the cast had been given this much meat for their characters. Continue reading
