Upcoming Theatrical Releases Cinderella Director: Kenneth Branagh PG; 1 hr. 45 min. Trailer When her father unexpectedly passes away, young Ella finds herself at the mercy of her cruel stepmother and her daughters. Never one to give up hope, Ella’s fortunes begin to change after meeting a dashing stranger in the woods. (Synopsis by Disney) […]
Dagger Movie Night: “Chappie” Asks Whether Artificial Intelligence Would Possess a Soul
In the near future, Johannesburg, South Africa has become the first city to have a largely mechanized police force. The force’s tactical automatons, called “scouts,” act as the proverbial tip of the spear during violent encounters, and are manufactured by the weapons contractor Tetravaal. There programmer Deon (Dev Patel) had been working to invent true […]
Dagger Movie Night: “Focus” — An Ambitious, Heady Thriller Aiming Lower for More Fun
We’re quickly approaching that post-Oscar portion of the calendar when the odds of coming across a worthwhile film are between slim and none. As with many Vegas sports gamblers after the Super Bowl, most distributors already either lost or won their biggest bets before the sweltering summer season of sensationalism begins. Yet hope springs eternal, […]
Reel News: Week of Feb. 27 — Focus, The Lazarus Effect, Big Hero 6, Horrible Bosses 2, Whiplash
Upcoming Theatrical Releases Focus Director: John Requa and Glenn Ficarra R; 1 hr. 45 min. Trailer In the midst of veteran con man Nicky’s latest scheme, a woman from his past – now an accomplished femme fatale – shows up and throws his plans for a loop. (Synopsis by Warner Bros.) Enjoyable enough, even if […]
Dagger Movie Night: “The Duff” — Way Too Thoughtless and Offensive to Succeed
Cliff Bugle has joined The Dagger as our newest film critic: Cliff Bugle has been writing about movies since his early days at college, but his love for them goes as far back as his earliest memories. At NYU he earned a BA in Cinema Studies, followed by a MS in Writing from Towson University. […]
Reel News: McFarland USA, Hot Tub Time Machine 2, The DUFF, Birdman, Dumb and Dumber To, St. Vincent, Theory of Everything
Upcoming Theatrical Releases McFarland, USA Director: Niki Caro PG; 2 hr. 9 min. Trailer From Disney comes MCFARLAND, the true against-all-odds story of the 1987 McFarland high school cross country team in an economically challenged community. (Synopsis by Disney) Like many of Disney’s products, this is too concerned with being “on brand” than creating the […]
Dagger Movie Night: Kingsmen The Secret Service — “Too Much Stylish Hyper-Violence to Catch the Message”
This week, Dagger contributor Cliff Bugle joins Mark Elloff to review “Kingsman: The Secret Service.” Based upon the acclaimed comic book and directed by Matthew Vaughn (Kick Ass, X-Men First Class), Kingsman: The Secret Service tells the story of a super-secret spy organization that recruits an unrefined but promising street kid into the agency’s ultra-competitive […]
Reel News: Week of Feb. 13 — Fifty Shades of Grey, Kingsman: The Secret Service, Red Army, Leviathan, Alexander, Nightcrawler
Upcoming Theatrical Releases Fifty Shades of Grey Director: Sam Taylor-Johnson R; 1 hr. 50 min. Trailer Literature student Anastasia Steele’s life changes forever when she meets handsome, yet tormented, billionaire Christian Grey. (Synopsis by Focus) The source material leaves much to be desired, so it’s forgivable that this couldn’t be turned into a better movie. […]
