“Wonder Woman”: the DCEU finally delivers a Wonder-ful superhero movie

Posted on June 1, 2017 by Denise

Nutshell: Director Patty Jenkins takes the DCEU reins from Zack Snyder, delivering a mighty blow for female superheroes, and single-handedly bringing the franchise back from the brink of death. As Diana Prince, Gal Gadot is a revelation as the fresh-faced badass. Your move, Justice League. Grade: A

“There’s nothing you can do about it…. Keep moving.”

Story: A sweet young girl unknowing of the ways of the world decides to journey far from her idyllic life in order to save the world.  Oh, did I mention the sweet young girl is an Amazon princess? No?  Well, she is.  Smackdowns ensue.

Genre I’d put it in: Amazons Doing It For Themselves

Remake, Sequel, Based-On, or Original: Based on the DC Comics heroine.  Part of the current DC Extended Universe of films (DCEU).

Gotta say: For some reason I was very apprehensive about this film.  Okay, there are definite reasons.  The muddled mess DC seems to make of their DCEU (though I have to admit I enjoy the director’s cut of BvS).  That hideously sexist TV pilot that never got off the ground.  That terrible TV movie that was supposed to be for a TV show that never got off the ground. That horrific new TV pilot that never got off the ground. And, of course, my childhood love of Lynda Carter, fighting for our rights, and the ol’ Red White and Bloooooo-hoooo.

But the team of Jenkins and Gadot have made me a believer.

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Baltimore Screening Pass-palooza: “My Cousin Rachel”!

Posted on May 30, 2017 by Denise

Ready to get your indie jones on?  Because I’ve got passes for the Baltimore screening of My Cousin Rachel, based on the book by British author Daphne du Maurier. Synopsis!

A dark and layered romance, MY COUSIN RACHEL tells the story of a young Englishman who plots revenge against his mysterious and beautiful cousin, believing that she murdered his guardian.  His feelings become complicated as he finds himself falling helplessly and obsessively in love with her.

Ready? Let’s go!

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Baltimore Screening Pass-palooza: “The Mummy”!

Posted on May 26, 2017 by Denise

I’ve been stoked for the start of the Universal Monsters Universe ever since I first heard about it.  So I’m just as stoked to share passes for the Baltimore screening of The Mummy, Universal’s first film in what I hope will be a long, awesome, series of glorious monster madness.  Synopsis!

Thought safely entombed in a tomb deep beneath the unforgiving desert, an ancient princess whose destiny was unjustly taken from her is awakened in our current day, bringing with her malevolence grown over millennia and terrors that defy human comprehension.
From the sweeping sands of the Middle East through hidden labyrinths under modern-day London, The Mummy brings a surprising intensity and balance of wonder and thrills in an imaginative new take that ushers in a new world of gods and monsters.

So, ready for monster mayhem?  ME TOO.  Let’s do this!
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Baltimore Screening Pass-palooza: “Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie”

Posted on May 24, 2017 by Denise

Ready to get your spandex on, peoples?  Because I’ve got passes for Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie!  And yeah, it should be good, since epic is in the title, right?  (Seriously, the trailer looks like a lot of goofy family fun…) Synopsis!

Based on the worldwide sensation and bestselling book series, and boasting an A-list cast of comedy superstars headed by Kevin Hart and Ed Helms, DreamWorks Animation brings audiences the long-awaited global movie event, Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie. This raucously subversive comedy for the entire family tells the story of two overly imaginative pranksters named George and Harold, who hypnotize their principal into thinking he’s a ridiculously enthusiastic, incredibly dimwitted superhero named Captain Underpants.

Kevin Hart.  Ed Helms. C’mon y’all.  Ready to get your Big Panties on?  Let’s go!

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TrailerWatch: the newest “Spider-Man: Homecoming” trailer brings gadgets and gags

Posted on May 24, 2017 by Denise

“You’ve gotta get better at this part of the job.”

I often battle with myself over trailers.  I want to watch them, but I don’t want to get all spoiled and stuff.  But with Marvel, I can’t help myself.  And this new trailer for Spider-Man: Homecoming is pretty freakin’ sweet. Synopsis!

A young Peter Parker/Spider-Man (Tom Holland), who made his sensational debut in Captain America: Civil War, begins to navigate his newfound identity as the web-slinging super hero in Spider-Man: Homecoming. Thrilled by his experience with the Avengers, Peter returns home, where he lives with his Aunt May (Marisa Tomei), under the watchful eye of his new mentor Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.). Peter tries to fall back into his normal daily routine – distracted by thoughts of proving himself to be more than just your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man – but when the Vulture (Michael Keaton) emerges as a new villain, everything that Peter holds most important will be threatened.

Does Petey have a Jarvis-like A.I.?  AWWW YEAH.  This should be fun – and that’s not even me getting stoked about the Abbott & Costello vibe I’m getting from Tony Stark and Peter Parker…heck, even the new poster is straight-up Iron Man. Everybody’s favorite web-slinger hit theaters July 7th, 2017.

 

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Elsewhere/Wayback Review(s): John Denver’s Greatest Hits 1967 — 1973, Back Home Again and Rhymes & Reasons

Posted on May 24, 2017 by Denise
While this is a review I penned back in 2005, you can read the newly re-issued review RIGHT HERE at Green Man Review!

Admit it. John Denver soothes. You know it; I know it. Songs like “Calypso” and “Rocky Mountain High” don’t just draw you in, they paint a picture of brighter places and quieter times. And I’m not just saying that because I grew up listening to him sing with Muppets. For me, John Denver carved out a niche between Ziggy Stardust and The Ramones, and I was happy to have his calm, gentle voice brighten my summer vacations and guide me through the changing face of rock during the seventies and early eighties. Even when it was cool to dismiss soft rock, I just couldn’t bring myself to turn away from his music. Now, RCA/Legacy has reissued three of John’s earlier albums, stripping them down to their bare essence. And with a few brief exceptions, the CDs are all the better for it.
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Baltimore Screening Pass-palooza: “WONDER WOMAN”!

Posted on May 22, 2017 by Denise

Ready to channel your inner warrior?  Of course you are – you’re a freakin’ badass, darlin. Well pull up your boots and shine your bracers up, because I’ve got passes for the Baltimore screening of Wonder Woman! Synopsis!

Before she was Wonder Woman, she was Diana, princess of the Amazons, trained to be an unconquerable warrior.  Raised on a sheltered island paradise, when an American pilot crashes on their shores and tells of a massive conflict raging in the outside world, Diana leaves her home, convinced she can stop the threat.  Fighting alongside man in a war to end all wars, Diana will discover her full powers…and her true destiny.

Grab your magic lasso and let’s do this!

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TrailerWatch: “How to Talk to Girls at Parties” gives us aliens, punks, and of course – punk aliens!

Posted on May 21, 2017 by Denise

I’ve heard about this movie thanks to the seemingly nonstop schedule Nicole Kidman has at Cannes this year.  But now that I’ve seen these trailers, I’m dying to see more.  Synopsis!

A funny and unique love story, How to Talk to Girls at Parties focuses on Enn, a shy teenage punk rocker in 1970s suburban London, and his two closest friends, Vic and John.  One night they all sneak into a party where they meet a group of intensely attractive, otherworldly girls; at first they think they’re from a cult, but eventually come to realize the girls are literally from another world—outer space. Starring Elle Fanning, Alex Sharp, Nicole Kidman, Ruth Wilson, and Matt Lucas. Directed by John Cameron Mitchell

Oh, and did I mention that this film is based on the 2006 short story by Neil Gaiman?  The one that won the Locus Award for Best Short Story in 2007?  YEAH I’M IN.

Let’s hope How to Talk to Girls at Parties lands in our neighborhood multiplex very, VERY soon!

(Sorry for the linkdump below; apparently WordPress hates Facebook embeds…but clicky on ’em for the full-screen trailers.  Trust me, you’ll want to see ’em!)

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Elsewhere Review: Eleanor Wasserberg’s Foxlowe

Posted on May 21, 2017 by Denise
Read the original piece RIGHT HERE at The Green Man Review!

“Tomorrow I’ll show you a secret.”

I’m a sucker for a utopia-but-not-really story.  From The Dark Secret of Harvest Home to Red Rising, there’s just something about a tale that digs into the dark underbelly of what was once a beautiful set of ideals.  With echoes of We Have Always Lived in the Castle, Atonement, and a touch of M. Night Shyamalan’s The Village, Wasserberg’s debut novel takes a look at a Utopian communal “family”, and lets us see what happens when things unravel.

And unravel they do.  From the first page, where our young narrator Green takes us by the hand and leads us into the halls of Foxlowe, we sense that all isn’t daisy chains and kumbaya.  Wasserberg’s beautifully descriptive prose lulls readers into a false sense of security, one she yanks out from under them with ease. Her way with gently slipping in descriptions of abuse, mistreatment and not-so-benign neglect creep into Green’s narration, slowly but surely. Continue reading →

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Blu-ray Giveaway: “Get Out”!

Posted on May 18, 2017 by Denise

No, the title of this post isn’t me telling you to take a hike.  It’s in reference to that super-eerie horror film that is quite literally sweeping the nation right now.  I’ve seen it, and it’s fantastic.  You have too, and you want to see it again?  Or maybe you haven’t, but need to see what all the fuss is about?  Well never fear; I’ve got copies of Get Out on Blu-ray, and I’m dying to give ’em to you.  Synopsis!

In Universal Pictures’ Get Out, a speculative thriller from Blumhouse (producers of The Visit, Insidious series and The Gift) and the mind of Jordan Peele, when a young African-American man visits his white girlfriend’s family estate, he becomes ensnared in a more sinister real reason for the invitation. Now that Chris (Daniel Kaluuya, Sicario) and his girlfriend, Rose (Allison Williams, Girls), have reached the meet-the- parents milestone of dating, she invites him for a weekend getaway upstate with Missy (Catherine Keener, Captain Phillips) and Dean (Bradley Whitford, The Cabin in the Woods). At first, Chris reads the family’s overly accommodating behavior as nervous attempts to deal with their daughter’s interracial relationship, but as the weekend progresses, a series of increasingly disturbing discoveries lead him to a truth that he could have never imagined.

Keanu was hilarious, as well as a well-crafted comedy.  But what Jordan Peele does with horror? Well now.  You’ll have to see, won’t you?  C’mon then! Continue reading →

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