I was looking very forward to “Empire of Light” based on its poster alone! It’s a solid visual of two people quietly celebrating the glory that is the event, the bringing about of fantastic fireworks in the sky. It turns out it’s just 1980 turning into 1981, but it looks like something more unique, as did the movie when I first saw the trailer.
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Directed by: Gerard Johnstone
Screenplay by: Akela Cooper
Story by: Akela Cooper & James Wan
Cast: Allison Williams, Violet McGraw, Ronny Chieng, Brian Jordan Alvarez, Jen Van Epps, Lori Dungey, Stephane Garneau-Monten
Rated: PG-13
Genre: Horror, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Producers: Jason Blum, James Wan
Executive Producers: Allison Williams, Mark Katchur, Ryan Turek, Michael Clear, Judson Scott, Adam Hendricks, Greg Gilreath
“The Eternal Daughter” is labeled a mystery, thriller and, through the trailer, sold as somewhat of a ghost story. Imagine my surprise when halfway through the hour-and-a-half movie, I hadn’t received a storyline matching either of the descriptions I had been expecting. I was perplexed. However, I do acknowledge that what I saw was spectacular beauty. I also witnessed one of my favorite actresses make it impossible for me to turn away from the screen.
Directed by: Elizabeth Banks
Screenplay by: Jimmy Warden
Starring: Keri Russell, O’Shea Jackson, Jr., Christian Convery-Jennings, Alden Ehrenreich, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Brooklynn Prince, Isiah Whitlock Jr., Kristofer Hivju, Hannah Hoekstra, Aaron Holliday, with Margo Martindale and Ray Liotta
Rated: R
Genre: Dark Comedy
Producers: Phil Lord, Christopher Miller, Elizabeth Banks, Max Handelman, Brian Duffield, Aditya Sood
Executive Producers: Robin Mulcahy Fisichella, Alison Small, Nikki Baida
Written & Directed by: Jesse Eisenberg
Starring: Julianne Moore, Finn Wolfhard, Alisha Boe, and Jay O. Sanders
Rated: R
Run Time: 1h 28m
Genres: Comedy, Drama
Distributed by: A24
Directed by: Daryl Wein
Produced by: Lauren Levy Neustadter, Reese Witherspoon
Written by: Tamara Chestna
Starring: Zoey Deutch, Kendrick Sampson, Ray Nicholson
Rated: PG
Runtime: 1h 27m
Genres: Romance, Comedy, Family
Release Date (Streaming): Dec 9, 2022
I liked “The Inspection” but found it regurgitated a lot from “An Officer and a Gentleman.” There were several scenes that dealt with similar themes and others that looked and felt like a carbon copy of the Taylor Hackford film. Of course, there is one big difference, and that difference is what ultimately makes “The Inspection” worth seeing. It’s somewhat autobiographical as director Elegance Bratton relives his own experience in boot camp as a gay Black marine in the mid-2000s.
This movie will be remembered by some, possibly hanging around for a while for its a new spin on an old tale. I can’t stress enough that it’s only for some. Based on the novel by Camille DeAngelis, it isn’t a horror movie. It lies somewhere between horror and a heavy drama where it may have trouble finding an audience where the book didn’t.
Everyone who loves movies remembers the film that pushed them toward their passion. Whether that passion led to watching every movie you could, reviewing or making films, that movie was special. For some, it was “Jaws,” created by Steven Spielberg, the subject of this film.
