September 19, 2019

Ad Astra (2019) - SPOILER-FREE Review

September 19, 2019/ MSB Reviews

Directed by: James Gray

Written by: James Gray, Ethan Gross

Starring: Brad Pitt, Tommy Lee Jones, Ruth Negga, Liv Tyler, Donald Sutherland

Runtime: 124 min

Synopsis: A paranoid thriller in space that follows Roy McBride (Brad Pitt) on a mission across an unforgiving solar system to uncover the truth about his missing father and his doomed expedition that now, 30 years later, threatens the universe. His journey will uncover secrets that challenge the nature of human existence and our place in the cosmos.

September 12, 2019

Booksmart (2019) - SPOILER-FREE Review

September 12, 2019/ MSB Reviews

Directed by: Olivia Wilde

Written by: Emily Halpern, Sarah Haskins, Susanna Fogel, Katie Silberman

Starring: Beanie Feldstein, Kaitlyn Dever, Jessica Williams, Will Forte, Lisa Kudrow, Jason Sudeikis

Runtime: 102 min

Synopsis: The story follows Kaitlyn Dever and Beanie Feldstein's characters (Amy and Molly, respectively), two academic superstars and best friends who, on the eve of their high school graduation, suddenly realize that they should have worked less and played more. Determined never to fall short of their peers, the girls set out on a mission to cram four years of fun into one night.

August 29, 2019

47 Meters Down: Uncaged (2019) - SPOILER-FREE Review

August 29, 2019/ MSB Reviews

Directed by: Johannes Roberts

Written by: Johannes Roberts, Ernest Riera

Starring: Sophie Nélisse, Corinne Foxx, Brianne Tju, Sistine Stallone, Davi Santos, Khylin Rhambo, Brec Bassinger, John Corbett

Runtime: 89 min

Synopsis: 47 Meters Down: Uncaged follows the diving adventure of four teenage girls (Corinne Foxx, Sistine Stallone, Sophie Nélisse, and Brianne Tju) exploring a submerged Mayan City. Once inside, their rush of excitement turns into a jolt of terror as they discover the sunken ruins are a hunting ground for deadly Great White Sharks. With their air supply steadily dwindling, the friends must navigate the underwater labyrinth of claustrophobic caves and eerie tunnels in search of a way out of their watery hell.

August 21, 2019

Ready or Not (2019) - SPOILER-FREE Review

August 21, 2019/ MSB Reviews

Directed by: Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, Tyler Gillett

Written by: Guy Busick, R. Christopher Murphy

Starring: Samara Weaving, Mark O'Brien, Adam Brody, Henry Czerny, Andie MacDowell

Runtime: 95 min

Synopsis: Ready Or Not follows a young bride (Samara Weaving) as she joins her new husband's (Mark O'Brien) rich, eccentric family (Adam Brody, Henry Czerny, Andie MacDowell) in a time-honored tradition that turns into a lethal game with everyone fighting for their survival.

August 15, 2019

Once Upon a Time In Hollywood (2019) - SPOILER-FREE Review

August 15, 2019/ MSB Reviews

Directed by: Quentin Tarantino

Written by: Quentin Tarantino

Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt, Margot Robbie, Emile Hirsch, Margaret Qualley, Timothy Olyphant, Austin Butler, Dakota Fanning, Bruce Dern, Al Pacino

Runtime: 159 min

Synopsis: Actor Rick Dalton (Leonardo DiCaprio) gained fame and fortune by starring in a 1950s television Western, but is now struggling to find meaningful work in a Hollywood that he doesn't recognize anymore. He spends most of his time drinking and palling around with Cliff Booth (Brad Pitt), his easygoing best friend and longtime stunt double. Rick also happens to live next door to Roman Polanski (Rafał Zawierucha) and Sharon Tate (Margot Robbie) - the filmmaker and budding actress whose futures will forever be altered by members of the Manson Family.

August 08, 2019

Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark (2019) - SPOILER-FREE Review

August 08, 2019/ MSB Reviews

Directed by: André Øvredal

Written by: Dan Hageman, Kevin Hageman

Starring: Zoe Colletti, Michael Garza, Gabriel Rush, Austin Abrams, Dean Norris, Gil Bellows, Lorraine Toussaint

Runtime: 111 min

Synopsis: It's 1968 in America. Change is blowing in the wind... but seemingly far removed from the unrest in the cities is the small town of Mill Valley where for generations, the shadow of the Bellows family has loomed large. It is in their mansion on the edge of town that Sarah (Kathleen Pollard), a young girl with horrible secrets, turned her tortured life into a series of scary stories, written in a book that has transcended time. Stories that have a way of becoming all too real for a group of teenagers who discover Sarah's terrifying tome.

August 01, 2019

Hobbs & Shaw (2019) - SPOILER-FREE Review

August 01, 2019/ MSB Reviews

Directed by: David Leitch

Written by: Chris Morgan, Drew Pearce

Starring: Dwayne Johnson, Jason Statham, Idris Elba, Vanessa Kirby, Helen Mirren

Runtime: 138 min

Synopsis: Ever since hulking lawman Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson), a loyal agent of America's Diplomatic Security Service, and lawless outcast Shaw (Jason Statham), a former British military elite operative, first faced off in 2015's Furious 7, the duo have swapped smack talk and body blows as they've tried to take each other down. But when cyber-genetically enhanced anarchist Brixton (Idris Elba) gains control of an insidious bio-threat that could alter humanity forever - and bests a brilliant and fearless rogue MI6 agent (Vanessa Kirby) - these two sworn enemies will have to partner up to bring down the only guy who might be badder than themselves.

July 25, 2019

Midsommar (2019) - SPOILER-FREE Review

July 25, 2019/ MSB Reviews

Directed by: Ari Aster

Written by: Ari Aster

Starring: Florence Pugh, Jack Reynor, William Jackson Harper, Vilhelm Blomgren, Will Poulter

Runtime: 145 min

Synopsis: Dani (Florence Pugh) and Christian (Jack Reynor) are a young American couple with a relationship on the brink of falling apart. But after a family tragedy keeps them together, a grieving Dani invites herself to join Christian and his friends on a trip to a once-in-a-lifetime midsummer festival in a remote Swedish village. What begins as a carefree summer holiday in a land of eternal sunlight takes a sinister turn when the insular villagers invite their guests to partake in festivities that render the pastoral paradise increasingly unnerving and viscerally disturbing.

July 18, 2019

The Lion King (2019) - SPOILER-FREE Review

July 18, 2019/ MSB Reviews

Directed by: Jon Favreau

Written by: Jeff Nathanson

Starring: Donald Glover, Seth Rogen, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Alfre Woodard, Billy Eichner, John Kani, John Oliver, James Earl Jones, Beyoncé Knowles-Carter

Runtime: 110 min

Synopsis: From Disney, director Jon Favreau's all-new The Lion King journeys to the African savanna where a future king is born. Simba (JD McCrary / Donald Glover) idolizes his father, king Mufasa (James Earl Jones), and takes to heart his own royal destiny. But not everyone in the kingdom celebrates the new cub's arrival. Scar (Chiwetel Ejiofor), Mufasa's brother (and former heir to the throne) has plans of his own. The battle for Pride Rock is ravaged with betrayal, tragedy, and drama, ultimately resulting in Simba's exile. With help from a curious pair of newfound friends, Simba will have to figure out how to grow up and take back what is rightfully his.

July 17, 2019

The Lion King (1994) - Review

July 17, 2019/ MSB Reviews

Directed by: Roger Allers, Rob Minkoff

Written by: Irene Mecchi, Jonathan Roberts, Linda Woolverton

Starring: Matthew Broderick, James Earl Jones, Jeremy Irons, Jonathan Taylor Thomas, Moira Kelly, Nathan Lane, Ernie Sabella, Rowan Atkinson, Robert Guillaume, Madge Sinclair, Whoopi Goldberg, Cheech Marin, Jim Cummings

Runtime: 87 min

Synopsis: One of the most popular Disney animated musicals, The Lion King presents the story of a lion cub's journey to adulthood and acceptance of his royal destiny. Simba (voiced first by Jonathan Taylor Thomas, then by Matthew Broderick) begins life as an honored prince, the son of the powerful King Mufasa (voiced by James Earl Jones). The cub's happy childhood turns tragic when his evil uncle, Scar (voiced by Jeremy Irons), usurps the throne and drives Simba away from the kingdom. In exile, the young lion befriends the comically bumbling pair of Pumbaa (voiced by Ernie Sabella) and Timon (voiced by Nathan Lane), living a carefree jungle life. As he approaches adulthood, however, he is influenced to go back and reclaim his rightful throne.

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