Peculiar Reviewer

The renaissance of modern horror remains tenacious after films like Jordan Peele’s  Get Out and Robert Egger’s  The Witch shaked things up. Adding another serious cinematic effort to the genre is  A Quiet Place . Director, star, and co-writer  John Krasinski 's near-silent horror thriller  is an extraordinary film  achievement with its use of  silence to demand the audience’s attention. Producing  a quiet but powerful tension that’s continuously nerve-racking, Krasinski doesn’t rely on traditional horror genre tropes like the jump scare or cheap thrills.  A Quiet Place is set only two years in the future when something has happened to Earth and the streets are desolate, grocery stores empty, and not a soul is in sight. Well, except for the Abbotts ( Emily Blunt and real-life husband John Krasinski ), who are living their lives in silence, while being responsible for keeping their two young sons, deaf daughter, and newborn-on-the-way saf...

This Tuesday the  Roseanne  revival had a double episode premiere on ABC .   23 million viewers tuned in for the beloved sitcom's return .   21 years later, it is fresher than ever and   back in the  top spot! 30 years ago  Roseanne changed television with its realistic portrayal of an unapologetic working-class family with the matriarch as its star. It was feminist, body-positive, outspoken about gay rights, domestic abuse, and much more.  Roseanne  originally ran for 9 seasons on ABC from 1988-1997 and was l ed by stand-up comedian Roseanne Barr , who became an advocate for pushing the boundaries of television censorship.   A great sitcom can make you feel right at home, and by episode 2 of the Roseanne revival the cast already feels lived-in. One thing that hasn't changed all this time: the struggle is still real. Darlene has lost her job and is forced to move back in.  Becky wants to become a s...

I felt a great disturbance in the Force, which brought me out of my movie critic retirement home in Tatooine to say: don't try to repair the formula of the most culturally impactful and epic franchise in movie history!  Star Wars: The Last Jedi  follows Rey on a mission to receive Jedi training from Luke Skywalker to aid the Resistance in the fight against the First Order. Where we are now is Episode 8 and the second film of the sequel trilogy. Prior to this installment, J.J. Abrams' The Force Awakens had the audience in the palm of his hands with that final pivotal scene of Rey presenting Luke with his father Anakin Skywalker's old lightsaber which Obi-Wan Kenobi bestowed upon Luke in the original trilogy. Sounds like a great starting point for a fulfilling narrative. So many possibilities. How could it go wrong? New to the Star Wars universe is writer/director Rian Johnson  ( Looper , Brothers Bloom ), who was given the "go ahead" from Lucasfilm pres...

Forget Jurassic World .   People should be lining up to see director/producer  Judd Apatow and Screenwriter Amy Schumer 's  Trainwreck , as I'm sure millions  will be once word spreads that it is a near-perfect film.  New York native Amy Schumer writes her first starring role about a lovably candid New York floozy/magazine writer named Amy, who along with her sister Brie Larson , was taught by her outspoken alcoholic father ( Colin Quinn ) at a young age that monogamy is unrealistic. In opposition to her sister's married-with-children approach, Amy follows her father's thought-to-be wise words and hooks up with a slew of guys (each a brief encounter and then she bounces), including a surprisingly funny John Cena , who dated Amy because seeing her from behind he thought she was a guy. It's not until Amy is unexpectedly assigned by her emotionally devoid boss Tilda Swinton to interview the genuinely likable sports doctor Aaron Conners ( Bill Hader ), that ...

Jurassic Park was one of the possibly 6 movies we had on VHS at my house growing up. Did we watch it at least once a week for a few years straight? Sure, we didn't have Netflix, OnDemand, Hulu, Vudu - we also didn't have voodoo, or money. Our cinematic minds weren't tainted then by Computer Generated Imagery and motion-capture. We were thrilled to be breathing amongst the T-Rex's like never before. Precisely why for the much-anticipated next installment of the franchise executive produced by its own Steven Spielberg, I wanted Velociraptors not Veloci craptors .  Getting the director of the sci-fi indie Safety Not Guaranteed  ( Colin Trevorrow ) was a clever choice. One could hope for a big budget with an indie heart.  Jurassic World returns us to Isla Nublar, where the new owner of the dino park has asked his scientists to create a bigger & better experience for its declining attendees, unaware that some of his staff have become Dr. Frankenstein's. In an eff...

The next big Netflix Original Series Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt comes from creative kingpins Tina Fey and Robert Carlock ( SNL , 30 Rock ), who bring us a new protagonist - one that is beaming with positivity: the stupendously awkward Kimmy Schmidt. She's a small town sweetheart who's rescued from a cult ran by a manipulative preacher, where she was kept for some 15 years along with other "mole women." The preacher told the then-young teens there had been an apocalypse that wiped out every living thing... even... the... rats! Unbreakable , Kimmy Schmidt starts anew and adjusts to life in New York City, leaving her past behind and freeing herself from the "victim image" that's accompanied with a media frenzy, leachers, and Kimmy's archenemy: sympathy. If you aren't immediately sold by the opening theme song, a "mole women" interview remixed à la Charles Ramsey's "Dead Giveaway," you will be for countless other reas...

There is a lot of crap out there. So when something like A Most Violent Year comes along, it is my pleasure to bring that cinematic option to you. Director J.C. Chandor 's follow-up to his engaging lost-at-sea picture All Is Lost , is the gritty crime drama A Most Violent Year . Now, I am not one to seek out crime dramas past the mid '90s, but it was clear to me watching his previous feature that Chandor is a talented new director. The film unites Jessica Chastain ( Interstellar , Zero Dark Thirty ) with her former Juilliard classmate Oscar Isaac ( Inside Llewyn Davis , W.E. ), whom she suggested for the lead after Javier Bardem dropped out.  A Most Violent Year is set in New York City during a cold winter of 1981, statistically the highest crime year the city had seen. Amidst this chilling backdrop, the ambitious owner of a growing heating-oil delivery company, Abel Morales (Oscar Isaac), is being investigated under suspicion of corruption, by the District Attorney. Abel ...

After premiering at Sundance Film Festival in January to critical praise, Camp X-Ray , the directorial debut from writer/director Peter Sattler which stars Kristen Stewart and Peyman Moaadi was picked up by IFC Films and released OnDemand, on iTunes, and Amazon Oct. 17. Sattler opens the film with a shot of the Twin Towers up in smoke, which is then revealed to be current news on the television at Ali Amir's residence, played by Peyman Maadi ( A Separation ). Privately praying in his humble apartment, Ali suddenly has his head enveloped by a black bag and is whisked off on a boat, along with other visibly-and-audibly shielded men across the ocean. Sattler cuts to eight years later, where we follow Kristen Stewart 's Army private first class Amy Cole who has just arrived to Camp Delta located at Guantanamo Bay, and stationed to guard the detainees. Informed by her superior that this is a war zone, the guards are put on suicide watch every 3 minutes. While she's just be...

The best show on TV is not on TV - it's on Amazon. In fact, the place you can find groundbreaking shows now are on streaming giants like Amazon and Netflix. Working outside of the confines of censorship provides a sense of flexibility without a network. If creators are freer to express their vision - they don't need a television. They can bring us characters who need to be seen, because those characters represent real people who should be acknowledged in creative media, and often aren't. The actors who are given these career-defining roles can educate the masses through their major screen presence, thus cutting through stereotypes with each episode that passes.  When the pilot for the new dark comedy-drama Transparent was released on Amazon this past August in hopes of being picked up for a full first season, after watching it, I knew it had nothing to worry about - because a show that good will find its audience. I "signed on" to Transparent initially beca...

The Skeleton Twins is a small movie with a big heart. Estranged twins Maggie ( Kristen Wiig ) and Milo ( Bill Hader ) both attempt suicide on the same day, unaware that the other has done so, but to no avail. Maggie and Milo are a pair of broken skeletons who had parted ways 10 years ago because of a dark past that the twins haven't seemed to shake. A cheated death brings them together again.  Hader and Wiig play their dark, conflicted characters as if they'd never been a comedy duo before - as if Saturday Night Live , Adventureland (2009), and Paul (2011) had never happened. It is really something to watch these actors at the top of their game, moving in unison. Bill Hader's Milo is a struggling actor, and Maggie's gay brother from Hollywood who is now staying with her and her husband ( Luke Wilson ) at their home in New Hampshire. Milo is completely comfortable with his sexuality and in his own skin, unlike the people he encounters away from home. Milo uses c...

Opening night felt like a momentous event. Stoner nerds and Comic-Con leftovers lined up for the anticipated eccentric Marvel sci-fi experience that is Guardians of the Galaxy . Everyone is here to blast off for Marvel Studios' 10th addition to the Marvel Universe. Chris Pratt ( Parks and Recreation , Moneyball ) in space with aliens is a geek magnet, myself included.  It often begins with someone beaming up. This time, it's Earth 1988. Lone star Peter Quill (Chris Pratt) is but a wee lad, and suffers from a major loss in the family. 26 years later we are greeted with a grownup Peter, who is now the pilot of Milano (a spaceship named after Alyssa Milano, director/co-writer James Gunn's childhood crush). Quill is now known in the galaxy as Star-Lord. To give you a sense of the tone of Guardians - this Marvel superhero prances across the room with his "pelvic sorcery" to 70s love grooves, and never leaves without his "Awesome Mix Vol. 1" on tape. Qu...

Giving blood transfusions to the masses is no longer (sort of) the motive of the makers of True Blood . When the eternal storylines had become outlandish since Season 4 with the addition of about 96 new characters per season, the show forced their audience to no longer be unable to focus on the main characters - we had lost our True faith. So it's refreshing that they've put the gear in neutral and calmed the bleep down in this final Season 7, given that ratings have gone down since Season 5. SPOILERS below (if you aren't caught up) In the latest episode "Fire in the Hole," we discover that Sarah Newlin is alive-and-kickin' and still into faux guru s, a weeping Pam finds Eric Northman who has been infected with the Hepatitis V virus, and Eric's hair was out of control in 1986 Paris. Alcide is now doing half-nude New Balance ads in the forest ? True has incorporated a classic horror theme of the townspeople turning on "the hero" (Sam Merl...

Tale as old as time...No, wait... that's Beauty and the Beast . Disney's ideals have changed since its classic Sleeping Beauty was released in 1959. Then, female animated characters were driven by "true love," or rather, the idea of romantic perfection: a dashing hero who will save them from dreaded despair. If her Prince found her , then all was well in Dislandia. The fairy tales provided escapism for viewers, but also exceedingly high expectations, thereby disappointment. But, fear not! The Beauty re-imagined Maleficent validates that things are different now; in fact, one may not even have to do anything to attain the message in this Fairytale 2.0.  Maleficent begins with a classic Disney opening, along with narration from a friendly voice...a young fairy named Maleficent. A compassionate healer, she cures trees and such in her fairy kingdom The Moors. Maleficent's pre-black-rubber days consisted of protecting her land and the creatures who inhabited it...

Julia Roberts has had a recent turn in her 25+ year career as America's Sweetheart - to a fearless performer. She was a force to be reckoned with in last year's Oscar nominated August: Osage County , even opposite Meryl Streep, Roberts was the leading lady who carried the film. For this, it was no shock to me that she gripped me once again as Dr. Emma Brookner in Ryan Murphy 's TV movie The Normal Heart , which premiered this week on HBO. Roberts plays a brave doctor (based on Dr. Linda Laubenstein) who suffers from polio, who, although glued to her wheelchair, spends her days as one of the only doctors researching and attempting to save gay men's lives in the early 1980s during the HIV-AIDS crisis. Based on Larry Kramer's 1985 Off-Broadway production, Kramer serves as screenwriter on this film version of The Normal Heart, which took director Ryan Murphy years to obtain the rights to.   Mark Ruffalo plays the lead as Ned Weeks, the openly gay New York writ...

Jonathan Glazer 's ( Birth , Sexy Beast ) first film in 10 years, Under the Skin , follows an alien seductress ( Scarlett Johansson ) who preys upon male hitchhikers along the roads of Scotland. Glazer's completely silent, chilling opening, and classic sci-fi moment in space sets the tone for this imaginative and mysterious film. Under the Skin can be classified as a sci-fi art film. It deals with the pleasurable unknown, devoid of reason, yet artfully capable of attaining it. Glazer uses an eerie score and intrusive noises to dance behind his mesmerizing science fiction thriller. Under the Skin has a genuine Kubrick aura; there are even hand-picked shots in direct homage to the late great. Glazer uses rapid images of city life, possibly critiquing consumerism through an alien's eyes. Skin has a lack of dialogue and character names, focusing on Johansson's mostly silent luring of men while she lives under the skin of a woman who's skin she's taken across a ...

It was the closing night of the 31st Annual PaleyFest, and the witches were out at Covenwarts for the American Horror Story: Coven panel of cast and creators. This was the first time the Paley Center for Media has ever honored a miniseries. The ultimate TV fan festival took place in Hollywood's Dolby Theatre to a packed house of studious Supremes. The evening kicked off with a Bewitched clip from 1970, followed by the AHS: Coven episode "Burn, Witch. Burn!" (named after the 1962 Horror classic?) The audience cheered on as Dame Lange popped pills, Taissa Farmiga massacred the walking dead with a chainsaw, and Kathy Bates ran a stake through her dead daughter's heart.  Creators Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk were in the house; Brad stating that "you can't have a more female drama than witches." Most of the cast were present, including, Gabourey Sidibe , Evan Peters , Frances Conroy , Sarah Paulson , Kathy Bates , Emma Roberts , Jamie Brewer , Denis O...

In the Season 3, Episode 7 episode of Girls "Beach House," the foursome get away from the city for the weekend at a decadent estate that Marnie setup in hopes of stitching back the girls' bond. From the opening segment of "Dame" Marnie's classical BBC opening of the double French doors, we know we're in for a 30-minute staycation with Girls . Marnie carefully places fresh flowers and place cards on each assigned bed, inviting us to the special occasion at the beach house (at least, according to Marnie). The turmoil between Marnie and Hannah, caused by Marnie sleeping with Hannah's gay friend Elijah, still ensues. Marnie has already planned her Sisters of the Traveling Pants time for her friends, but her plans are shaken up when Elijah and his gay friends arrive to the beach house (per Hannah's request after running into him). Elijah serves as Hannah's escape from drill sergeant Marnie, as well as all of those who misunderstand her quirks....

As AHS: Coven came to its boiling end, where Stevie Nicks has sung to the young witches beginning the Seven Wonders, and a new Supreme revealed herself to the eager pupils of Miss Robichaux's Academy - fans eagerly await the return of the tightly structured, boundary slaughtering, mesmerizing experience that is AHS . In an exclusive Entertainment Weekly reveal, American Horror Story creator Ryan Murphy has stated that the anticipated Season 4 of FX 's hit series will be a period piece: "It’s set in 1950 . If you look historically what happened in the year 1950, there’s some more clues in that year. It’s a period piece. We try and do the opposite of what we’ve done before. Jessica Lange has already started practicing her German accent so I’m very excited!"   The clues that I have found are that the Circus Krone Building in Munich, Germany was the first permanent building for a circus, originally being built in 1919. Among many others, Krone was bombed an...