Dog’s Movie House: “Beast” A Lean, Mean Well Made Thrill Machine!
Howdy folks! It’s The Kendog here with a look at “Beast” a new thriller starring Idris Elba as a widowed father of two teen girls who ventures back to his late wife’s home in South Africa in order to reconnect with his daughters. The three go on a safari led by good family friend and park ranger Martin (Sharlto Copley). At first the safari goes perfectly but soon they find themselves the target of a savage lion who is on a rampage after poachers killed most of his pride. Acting unlike other lions, this beast is persistent, clever and lethal, killing people without eating them. It’ll take all of Elba and his families courage and intelligence to get back to civilization alive.
Continue readingDog’s Movie House: “The Suicide Squad” Trippy, Amoral, Violent, And Wonderfully Hilarious!
Howdy Folks! It’s The Kendog here with an observation of what a difference a few years makes. Way back in 2016 David Ayer wrote and directed the first “Suicide Squad.” While being a massive hit it was considered by many to be a disjointed, somewhat neutered mess, especially coming from the guy who wrote “Training Day” and directed films such as “End Of Watch” and “Fury.” Now we find out that . . . surprise, surprise, Ayer was interferred with at the studio by suits who wanted to make the film more like the bubbly Marvel films that have been so successful. As a result, the cut of “Suicide Squad” turned out to have too many chefs in the kitchen and Ayer’s version of what the film should be is hardly recognizable as such. Cut to five years later and the idea of DC’s version of a connected universe is decidely in flux at the moment. Now we have James Gunn (“The Guardians of the Galaxy”) commissioned to do a soft reboot on our favorite gang of supervillains trying to do good. Only this time the studio kept their paws off of this film and Gunn has free reign. The result is probably the most entertaining, off-the-wall comic book films in years. It’s like “Deadpool” and “The Avengers” had a child and the result is, put simply, awesome!
Continue readingDog’s Movie House: “Annabelle: Creation” Terrifying, “Dark Tower” Terrifyingly Bad!
Howdy Folks! It’s The Kendog!
Talitha Bateman In “Annabelle: Creation”
Horror, like comedy, is a very subjective genre. Every moviegoer has something different that trips their “fear” switch. For me, it’s more about what’s not visible onscreen than overt displays of violence and gore. For that reason, the various films in The Conjuring franchise are some of the creepiest I’ve ever seen. With the exception of the very disappointing “Annabelle” I’ve very much enjoyed the James Wan- led franchise and “Annabelle: Creation” is right up there with some of the best horror films in recent memory. The same cannot be said for the long-awaited cinematic adaptation of Stephen King’s legendary Dark Tower series. “The Dark Tower” is a overly brief, thematic mess that pays only lip service to King’s sprawling fantasy saga. Non fans of the books will be mildly entertained, but King devotees will either walk out or throw their popcorn at the movie screen. Continue reading
The Trailer Dog Park: “The Dark Tower” Is Here!
Howdy Folks! It’s The Kendog!
Idris Elba as Roland in “The Dark Tower”
I am a huge Stephen King fan and I count the Dark Tower Cycle among my favorite of his works. I also understand that developing this sprawling saga for other mediums like the movies can be a daunting task. The first film in a presumed franchise, “The Dark Tower” adaptation has been written by Akiva Goldsman and directed by Nikolaj Arcel. Staying true to the books would probably be impossible, so I’ll have to judge the film based primarily on its cinematic merits and whether or not it gets the spirit of the book right. Continue reading
