Film Reviews

Movie reviews, films, news, and entertainment in Charlotte, North Carolina

Film

Movie Review: New ‘Shaft’ is more comedy-action than blaxploitation, but that’s not a bad thing

By Rachel Laurie June 16, 2019 What was a film that once revolutionized movies under the genre of blaxploitation is now a comedy-action movie. The shift in tone is most likely due to the writers, Kenya Barris (Black-ish and Girls Trip) and Alex Barnow (Family...
By CLTure June 16, 2019
Film

‘Men in Black: International,’ more like “Meh” in Black

By Bill Mazzola June 15, 2019 It’s clear to anyone even remotely paying attention these days that Hollywood has franchise fever. Remakes, reboots, sequels, prequels, and interconnected universes are all the rage. Nowadays we’re given reboots and continuations that we never really asked for. Which...
By CLTure June 15, 2019
Film

Spike Lee’s classic film ‘Do The Right Thing’ will be re-released in select theaters

By CLTure News Celebrating the 30th anniversary of Spike Lee’s 1989 classic film, Do The Right Thing, Universal Pictures and the Criterion Collection will re-release the film on June 30 at select AMC, Regal Cinemas, Cinemark, and Alamo Drafthouse theaters. Improving on the Spike Lee...
By CLTure June 10, 2019
Film

Mindy Kaling’s feature film writing debut ‘Late Night’ offers charm and heartfelt comedy

By Douglas Davidson June 7, 2019 As theaters ramp up for animated animal adventures, alien invasions, and yet another zombie apocalypse, there’s a small work-place comedy executed by an incredible cast of comedic actors offering up something different. Written by Mindy Kaling (The Mindy Project)...
By CLTure June 7, 2019
Film

‘Dark Phoenix’ is far from the worst of the X-Men series, but it could have been much more

By Jason Seyler June 5, 2019 You have to admire the endurance of the X-Men series. We have seen 10 films (excluding the Deadpool films) released over the past 19 years. There have been a variety of highs (Logan) and certainly lows (Origins: Wolverine). Any...
By CLTure June 5, 2019
Film

The Martin Scorsese-directed Bob Dylan documentary trailer released

By CLTure News June 3, 2019 (updated) Netflix has released the first trailer for the Martin Scorsese-directed Bob Dylan documentary, Rolling Thunder Revue: A Bob Dylan Story. This is the first music documentary directed by Scorsese since HBO’s George Harrison: Living in the Material World. The film, described as a...
By CLTure June 3, 2019
Film

A predictable and incoherent plot make ‘Ma’ starring Octavia Spencer an unfortunate dud

By Ryen Thomas June 1, 2019 I can imagine that when actress Octavia Spencer first read the script for Ma she saw in the horrifying character of Sue Ann the perfect vehicle for trading out the warm, goody-goody mama persona she normally plays in Hollywood....
By CLTure June 3, 2019
Film

Review: ‘Aladdin’ could have used just a little bit more magic

By Jason Seyer May 24, 2019 It’s been 27 years since Disney’s animated smash, Aladdin, hit theaters. With the studio adapting so many of their classics into live-action recently, there was no doubt they were going to tackle Aladdin at some point. The original 1992...
By CLTure May 24, 2019
Film

‘Booksmart’ isn’t the female ‘Superbad,’ it’s a riotous teen comedy that explores friendship, love, and self-realization

By Douglas Davidson May 23, 2019 Watching the new teen comedy Booksmart, you would not know this is the feature film directorial debut for Olivia Wilde (Life Itself, House). Nuts to bolts, Booksmart is a heat-seeking rocket of a film. It’s precise, on target and...
By CLTure May 23, 2019
Film

‘John Wick 3’ isn’t a blast; it’s many blasts, and a video game of a movie

By Dan Cava May 16, 2019 Whatever grownup-ness might be inferred from its richly deserved R rating, John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum is joyously juvenile. Parabellum picks up moments after Chapter 2 left off. After avenging his slain dog a hundred times over in...
By CLTure May 16, 2019

Film

By Rachel Laurie June 16, 2019 What was a film that once revolutionized movies under the genre of blaxploitation is now a comedy-action movie. The shift in tone is most likely due to the writers, Kenya Barris (Black-ish and Girls Trip) and Alex Barnow (Family...

By CLTure News Celebrating the 30th anniversary of Spike Lee’s 1989 classic film, Do The Right Thing, Universal Pictures and the Criterion Collection will re-release the film on June 30 at select AMC, Regal Cinemas, Cinemark, and Alamo Drafthouse theaters. Improving on the Spike Lee...

By Jason Seyler June 5, 2019 You have to admire the endurance of the X-Men series. We have seen 10 films (excluding the Deadpool films) released over the past 19 years. There have been a variety of highs (Logan) and certainly lows (Origins: Wolverine). Any...

By Ryen Thomas June 1, 2019 I can imagine that when actress Octavia Spencer first read the script for Ma she saw in the horrifying character of Sue Ann the perfect vehicle for trading out the warm, goody-goody mama persona she normally plays in Hollywood....

By Jason Seyer May 24, 2019 It’s been 27 years since Disney’s animated smash, Aladdin, hit theaters. With the studio adapting so many of their classics into live-action recently, there was no doubt they were going to tackle Aladdin at some point. The original 1992...

By Douglas Davidson May 23, 2019 Watching the new teen comedy Booksmart, you would not know this is the feature film directorial debut for Olivia Wilde (Life Itself, House). Nuts to bolts, Booksmart is a heat-seeking rocket of a film. It’s precise, on target and...

By Dan Cava May 16, 2019 Whatever grownup-ness might be inferred from its richly deserved R rating, John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum is joyously juvenile. Parabellum picks up moments after Chapter 2 left off. After avenging his slain dog a hundred times over in...