I Still Believe in Heroes

            It’s no secret that 2017 was an outstanding year for horror and genre films, a year which culminated in Academy awards for genre films Get Out and The Shape of Water . A Quiet Place looks to keep that momentum going as it is the first truly great horror film of 2018. Packed with as much terror as it is with emotion, this innovative tension-filled film is a stunning addition to the horror genre.             John Krasinski returns to the director’s chair for A Quiet Place , a film in which he also stars, co-wrote and executive produced. Joining Krasinski’s character, Lee, is Emily Blunt as Evelyn, Noah Jupe as Marcus, Millicent Simmonds as Regan and Cade Woodward as Beau. They make up a family living in a world that has been overtaken by ruthless monsters who are extremely sensitive to sound. In order to survive, the Abbott family is forced to live in complete s...

Director and producer Greg Berlanti returns to the director’s chair for the first time since his 2010 film, Life as We Know It , to direct the new teen rom-com, Love, Simon . It is a historic film as it marks the first time a major studio has backed a teen rom-com with a gay character as the lead. It is a film that is far from perfect, but it is an incredible first step towards being more inclusive. The film stars Nick Robinson and features a great cast that includes Josh Duhamel, Jennifer Garner, Katherine Langford, Jorge Lendeborg Jr. and Keiynan Lonsdale.             Love, Simon opens up with Simon doing a quick voiceover on a montage that details how normal his life is aside from having one “huge-ass secret”. During this montage, we are introduced to all of the key characters in the film. He has a loving family, a tight group of friends and seems to do well in school. Despite all of this, Simon always seems to be at a s...

Great films often borrow elements from other great films. Captain America: The Winter Soldier borrowed from Three Days of the Condor and in doing so, it revolutionized the Marvel Cinematic Universe. For the first time ever, they proved that the movies in the MCU could tackle different genres. For this film, they went in the direction of 1970s political thrillers. The Winter Soldier sees Steve Rogers as a fugitive running from the very people he thought were the good guys, people he served under because he thought they were doing the right thing. As he is being hunted down, Captain America must uncover the truth behind those who are after him.  Leading the charge against Cap is none other than Robert Redford as Alexander Pierce. The fact that it is Redford who is in the role of Alexander Pierce is important because in 1975, Redford starred in the film Three Days of the Condor . This film sees Redford as Joe Turner, a CIA code breaker who walks into his office to find the en...

Director Nicolai Fuglsig brings us 12 Strong ,   the unbelievable true story of the very first Special Forces team sent to Afghanistan after the terrorist attack of 9/11. Captain Mitch Nelson (Chris Hemsworth), an untested captain, and his team must team up with an Afghan warlord in order to take down the Taliban. 12 Strong stars Chris Hemsworth, Michael Shannon and Michael Peña. It seems that the vast majority of war films in recent years have centered around the subject of PTSD which makes this film a nice departure into a different aspect of war. Instead of dealing with the aftermath of war,  12 Strong is very much about the beginnings of it and briefly touches on the initial emotions one goes through after killing someone for the first time. While I would have liked to see the film dive into this a little bit more deeply, I appreciate the fact that it at least tried. The film   wastes no time in sending us to the battlefield. However, the short period of ti...

             Sometimes a movie comes out and it seems to speak directly to you. It might be because you relate to the characters or it has a message that you need to hear. Watching Coco , Pixar’s first story revolving around Mexican culture, I felt like I was watching something that was made specifically for me. Much like most of Pixar’s other works, Coco is the kind of animated film that can be thoroughly enjoyed by adults just as much as kids. It is a wonderfully made story that uses Dia de Muertos (Day of the Dead) to celebrate Mexican culture.             Coco centers around Miguel and his family, all of whom are shoemakers. Although Miguel is being raised to follow in the footsteps of all his other family members, he has a different dream. His dream is to become a musician just like his idol, Ernesto de la Cruz. The only problem is that music has been banned from Miguel’s family for...

            Greta Gerwig makes her solo directional debut with the coming-of-age drama, Lady Bird , starring two-time Academy award nominee Saoirse Ronan. Gerwig, who also wrote the film, has primarily been an actress that you may recognize from films such as 20 th Century Women , Jackie and No Strings Attached . 2017 has been a year that has seen many phenomenal directorial debuts including Jordan Peele’s Get Out and Andy Serkis’ Breathe . Gerwig does not disappoint and turns in an incredible film that can be enjoyed by all.             Lady Bird takes place in Sacramento and is the story of Christine “Lady Bird” McPherson as she finishes out her last year of high school and prepares for college. The film takes place in 2002, a time where the United States’ economy was rapidly shifting as a result of 9/11. Christine’s family struggles because of those economic c...