We are living in the age of great coming of age stories with so many indie and Hollywood movies finally making their break. Just last year we saw three exceptional films with The Spectacular Now, The Way Way Back, and The Kings of Summer all releasing to box office success and critical acclaim. Back in 2002…
Category: Film Reviews – Written
An archive of my film reviews across all publications.
PFF 2014: The Sacrament Review
Writer/director Ti West is quickly becoming one of the biggest faces in modern horror thanks to his success with House of the Devil and V/H/S. He’s quickly established his roots as a filmmaker who covers the real horrors such as cults, stalkers, and lunatics that haunt our everyday world. His latest film The Sacrament is taking a very different look at cults…
PFF 2014: Joe Review
Nicolas Cage has undoubtably had a less than thrilling career over the last few years with the actor taking on such atrocities as Ghost Rider: The Spirit of Vengence, Season of the Witch, and Drive Angry. It’s been a while since the actor took on something a little more challenging and both critics and audiences have been begging the…
PFF 2014: The Big Ask Review
*When this film opened at the festival it was titled “Teddy Bears” but was later picked up by a distributor who renamed the movie “The Big Ask” There are a lot of comedies out there featuring young twenty something couples, but very few of them aim to be more than just a sit com. Teddy…
PFF 2014: God’s Pocket Review
We’ve already mourned the loss of the fantastic Phillip Seymour Hoffman earlier this year and only a couple of months later it’s still sad to think that we won’t be seeing his outstanding work in very many more films in the future. Luckily for filmgoers and fans he had a number of movies coming down the…
Noah Review
“He speaks to you. You must trust that He speaks in a way that you can understand.” -Methusela It’s been a few years since bible stories have been a thing in Hollywood, but with movies like Son of God, the upcoming Exodus, and this weekend’s Noah, we are in the middle of a resurgence of the biblical epic genre….
The Grand Budapest Hotel Review
Wes Anderson is at it again in The Grand Budapest Hotel with his oddly characterized storytelling that’s reminiscent of off beat stage plays. If you’re reading this review, chances are you know exactly what I’m talking about. Anderson has an irrefutably signature style that includes very symmetrical camera work, a dry as sand; quirky as…
Robocop Review
The original Robocop directed by Paul Verhoeven was a cult hit when it was released in 1987 and has since become a modern classic thanks to its forward thinking commentary, cutting edge special effects, use of brutal violence and sex, and honest portrayal of a decaying Detroit(which is ironically more in line with today’s Detroit than this…
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug Review
“Where does your journey end? You seek that which would bestow upon you the right to rule. A quest to reclaim a homeland, and slay a dragon!” -Thranduil It’s been a year since Peter Jackson dropped us back into Middle Earth with “An Unexpected Journey”. I wasn’t the biggest fan of the first film or…
Catching Up: Fall Movie Micro-Reviews
Once again I’ve gotten very busy and my full blown written reviews have been put on the back burner for the last couple of months, but fear not! I have still been working on weekly video reviews for the cinemaniacs youtube page and I’ve still been doing a little bit of work with my monthly…
Caleb Masters 