Tag: Patrick Stewart

Film Review: “The Sheep Detectives”

A cute (and woollen) murder mystery

Cloud (Regina Hall), Mopple (Chris O’Dowd) and Lily (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) stare at a clue in ‘The Sheep Detectives.’

For a moment there, about halfway into The Sheep Detectives, things get dark. Not Babe: Pig in the City levels of dark, but not-for-small-children serious and scary, even surprisingly existential. The Sheep Detectives is a new charming murder mystery featuring a flock of computer-generated sheep and a talented cast from director Kyle Balda (The Lorax, Minions). The film is reminiscent of the live-action Disney films of the 1990s and early 2000s, when scripts were less focused on maximizing jokes-per-minute, and when movies trusted young audiences with mature material while still having tons of fun! Continue reading “Film Review: “The Sheep Detectives””

Film Review: Logan

Dark and gritty and a proper sendoff for Jackman and Stewart.

Jackman is jacked up one last time…for now.

Logan will be Hugh Jackman’s ninth (and final) appearance as the comic hero, Wolverine. Nine. Films. <<pause for effect>> In. Seventeen. Years. That’s two more movies than either Sean Connery or Roger Moore played James Bond. That’s two more than there are live action Star Wars movies, and one more than in the Fast and the Furious franchise. You know which movie won the Oscar for Best Picture in 2000 when Jackman first starred as Wolverine in X-Men? American Beauty won! Feel old yet? Yeah, me too. First, let’s give Mr. Jackman a round of applause. <<applause>> Next, let’s begin to consider Jackman for a potential Best Actor nomination come next Oscar season, as his performance in Logan transcends the casual superhero action movie performance — it is staggering, transformative, emotional and tragic. Finally, let’s admire Logan for the amazing piece of storytelling, acting, and cinema that it is. Logan is not only the darkest and grittiest X-Men movie to date, it’s also one of the most dramatic and near-perfect superhero movies, ever.

Continue reading “Film Review: Logan“

Film Review: X-Men: Days of Future Past

Back to the future past!

So. Damn. Magnetizing.
He’s just so…magnetizing.

The only actors seemingly capable of producing the same intense chemistry with onscreen conversations as Patrick Stewart and Sir Ian McKellan do…are Michael Fassbender and James McAvoy.  Put them all in a movie together and it’s practically a how-to on acting.  Throw in Hugh Jackman and Jennifer Lawrence and you now have one of the most talented ensembles ever.  Oh, wait, Tyrion Lannister, err… Peter Dinklage, too?!  With this billed cast, it could’ve been a biopic about the GEICO gecko and I’d get in line.  Luckily for everyone, it’s actually X-Men: Days of Future Past, one of the best entries in the X-Men series (including all spinoffs, etc.) and an insanely fun film.

Continue reading “Film Review: X-Men: Days of Future Past”