Love, Simon: Movie Review

Heartfelt teen romance to fall for.

The marketing for Love, Simon has been catchy and clever. Their use of simple but cute puns hits the mark in just the right way, and the film doesn’t disappoint. It’s simple but cute and ultimately it’s a film that the world needs right now. A Hollywood romantic comedy for gay teens which feels like it should be a common genre by now, but in reality is hard to find on the big screen (even though the genre is thriving in the indie market, it’s just taken the big studios a bit longer).		2018 Directed by: Greg Berlanti Screenplay by: Elizabeth Berger, Isaac Aptaker Based on the novel by Becky Albertalli Starring: Nick Robinson, Katherine Langford

Entanglement: Movie Review

A twisting, original story of love and depression.

The main reason to watch Entanglement is because it’s different and unique. There are plenty of movies that are weird just for the sake of being weird, but Entanglement is only slightly weird with an actual story to tell – a story that’s grounded in universal emotions. Ultimately, it’s about loneliness, depression and love, and never hides those thoughts while sending us down a twisting, original path with some moments of brilliance and the occasional moment of nonsense.		2017 Directed by: Jason James Screenplay by: Jason Filiatrault Starring: Thomas Middleditch, Jess Weixler, and Diana Bang

When We First Met: Movie Review

Funny and cute.

A time travelling romantic comedy with shades of Groundhog Day and The Lake House. The fact that When We First Met doesn’t just immediately drive itself off a cliff is a mark of success in and of itself. That’s mostly thanks to the comedy of Adam Devine and the rest of the main cast. As romantic comedies go, the romance element is fairly predictable (trust me, it could have been a lot worse), but the film sticks to the comedy of the simple premise.		2018 Directed by: Ari Sandel Screenplay by: John Whittington Starring: Adam Devine, Alexandra Daddario

The 15:17 to Paris: Movie Review

A heroic ending with a muddled beginning and nothing in between.

Based on the true events of a terrorist attack successfully thwarted on a train from Amsterdam to Paris in August of 2015, The 15:17 to Paris is mostly a reminder that 5 minute events should not become two hour movies. Granted it does run 94 minutes, and director Clint Eastwood wanted to focus on the lives of the men before their heroic actions, but ultimately only the final 15 minutes were good and everything else he wanted to say got muddled in the mundaneness of life.		2018 Directed by: Clint Eastwood Screenplay by: Dorothy Blyskal Based on the book by Anthony Sadler, Alek Skarlatos, Spencer Stone and Jeffrey E. Stone Starring: Anthony Sadler, Alek Skarlatos, Spencer Stone

Permission: Movie Review

Relationship drama with unrelatable characters.

Permission is a relationship movie that’s supposed to be about that crossroads when you know you’re in love but you don’t know if you’re in love with the person that you’re supposed to be in love with. I’m not convinced that that’s an actual crossroads that many people experience, regardless, the film really just spends the entire run time trying to convince us that having sex with strangers is sexy. It’s not.		2017 Directed by: Brian Crano Screenplay by: Brian Crano Starring: Rebecca Hall, Dan Stevens

Winchester: Movie Review

Hunting ghosts with guns.

It’s not common to see biographical films mixed with horror, and it’s also not common to see horror films based on real life. Don’t think of Winchester as anything but a horror film. The biographical element does provide a nice hook to get interested, but from there it delves straight into the horror genre. The Exorcist meets The Woman in Black meets any other typical horror movie you can name. Cheap thrills gives way to supernatural nonsense.		2018 Directed by: Michael Spierig, Peter Spierig Screenplay by: Tom Vaughan, Michael and Peter Spierig Starring: Helen Mirren, Jason Clarke