Martin Campbell seems to be a hit or miss director, and you have to wonder if it’s his choice of projects. I love his work with the Bond franchise, and I quite enjoyed his take on Zorro. But I also remember how much I hated Vertical Limit and (of course) Green Lantern. Pairing him up…
Tag: 2017
All Systems Red (2017) – Martha Wells
I absolutely loved Martha Wells’ All Systems Red. I will admit to be a little disappointed when I downloaded from the library to my e-reader and discovered it was only a novella, a preface if you will to the adventures to come. When I dug into the story, however, any doubts I had about it’s…
Kingsman: The Golden Circle (2017) – Matthew Vaughn
I greatly enjoyed the Kingsman when I first saw it. It was this perfect blend of Bond films with comic book level violence and lots of swearing. It wasn’t afraid to have fun with its concept, and remind the world that these style of movies are just supposed to be fun. The sequel, Kingsman: The…
Logan Lucky (2017) – Steven Soderbergh
Logan Lucky is a hugely entertaining, and laugh-filled heist film. Something we should have come to expect knowing that Steven Soderbergh, who also delivered the Ocean’s Trilogy, is at the helm. There’s a lot of fun to be had with a great cast led by Channing Tatum. Tatum is John Denver-loving Jimmy Logan, a down…
Baywatch (2017) – Seth Gordon
I’ll be honest, I quite enjoyed the big screen adaptation of the cult favorite Baywatch. One could argue it’s not as entertaining as the 21 Jumpstreet films, but it ended up being damned fun, and pokes fun at the entire series, while honoring it at the same time. And it’s got a beautiful-looking cast to…
Pitch Perfect 3 (2017) – Trish Sie
There’s, arguably, a good film and story in Pitch Perfect 3, something about the family we’re from and the family we find, but from the opening sequence, which involves an exploding yacht, I knew this one was going to be a mess. There’s some wonderful ideas, casting John Lithgow in the role of Fat Amy’s…
Who Thought This Was a Good Idea? (2017) – Alyssa Mastromonaco with Lauren Oyler
While I’m waiting to get my hands on the new West Wing book, this one popped up in my book recommendations, and I figured why not. A fun memoir written by Obama’s former Deputy Chief of Staff, Alyssa Mastromonaco, what’s not to like? I flew through this one, it was an absolutely engaging read that…
The Hitman’s Bodyguard (2017) – Patrick Hughes
Ryan Reynolds leads a pretty solidly packed cast in a fairly paint-by-numbers action film that despite its predictability is a lot of fun, largely in part because of the casting. Ryan Reynolds, Samuel L. Jackson, Salma Hayek, Gary Oldman, Richard E. Grant, and Joaquim de Almeida. That’s some pretty top-drawer talent, and they all look…
The Assassin’s Curse (2017) – Kevin Sands
Simon & Schuster Canada continues to fire my imagination and sense of adventure with the third book in The Blackthorn Key collection which is now available on its own or as part of a gorgeous six-book hardcover collection available now! It’s the tail end of 1665 and the fact that apothecary apprentice Christopher Rowe and…
47 Meters Down (2017) – Johannes Roberts
Mandy Moore and Claire Holt star in 47 Meters Down a fairly well-realized white-knuckle thriller from Johannes Roberts. Whatever you think of the concept of the story, a pair of sisters stuck 47 meters down in shark-infested waters, Roberts is able to tap into some very primal fears, add in some solid visual effects work…
The Mind Reels 