Starring Brie Larson, Samuel L. Jackson, Ben Mendelsohn, Jude Law, Annette Bening, Clark Gregg, Lashana Lynch, Lee Pace
Written by Anna Boden, Ryan Fleck, Geneva Robertson-Dworet, Nicole Perlman, Meg LeFauve
Characters created by Roy Thomas, Gene Colan
Cinematography by Ben Davis
Edited by Debbie Berman, Elliot Graham
Produced by Kevin Feige
Directed by Anna Boden, Ryan Fleck
Released by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
Hello again folks! As you may have noticed, I went and saw CAPTAIN MARVEL again! But this time, I didn't see it alone! I finished up my day at work early, so I had a cool idea. I texted my girlfriend that I was finishing up work early, and we should go out on an afternoon date! Our son was at school, so I suggested to see CAPTAIN MARVEL over at the Pruneyard Cinemas Dine-In, and we can use our gift card that we received at Christmas! She was down with this date, so I went back home and picked her up, and we made our way to the theaters!
We picked up some cool seats, and remember, these are the leather reclining seats! Oh they were soooo comfty! And, we ordered lunch from The Cedar Room, where they prepared our delicious food and was brought to us! Now that's service!
As for the movie itself, I enjoyed it the second time around! For my girlfriend, she absolutely loved it! This was the third MCU film that she's seen with me in the theaters! So right there is a cause for celebration! Since we've been together, I've had her see AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR and ANT-MAN AND THE WASP in the cinemas, and I've been trying to get her caught up with the other titles on Blu-Ray. Overall, it was a great daytime date!
CAPTAIN MARVEL is currently playing in theaters in 2D, 3D, and IMAX nationwide,
including at the Pruneyard Cinemas Dine-In here in the Bay Area. To view
showtimes, visit their website at www.pruneyardcinemas.com.
As a kid growing up in the 1970's and 1980's, there was one band that dominated the world and brought to the masses some of the most original, experiential, and groundbreaking rock anthems in all of music history. And that band was called Queen. Fronted by the charismatic Freddie Mercury, the band went on to sell out stadiums all over the world, and sold a staggering 300 million albums. When Mercury died from AIDS related illness on November 24, 1991, the world mourned and life became a lot less magical. For several years, there have been several attempts to bring the story of Queen, and more specifically Mercury's life, to the silver screen, but it looked like it wasn't meant to be. Fast forward to 2018 and I'm at the Pruneyard Dine-In Cinemas, ordering some delicious food from their Cedar Room restaurant, and relaxing in their reclining chairs to watch the long-awaited Freddie Mercury/Queen biopic entitled BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY.
The film's official synopsis:BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY is a foot-stomping celebration of Queen, their
music and their extraordinary lead singer Freddie Mercury. Freddie
defied stereotypes and shattered convention to become one of the most
beloved entertainers on the planet. The film traces the meteoric rise of
the band through their iconic songs and revolutionary sound. They reach
unparalleled success, but in an unexpected turn Freddie, surrounded by
darker influences, shuns Queen in pursuit of his solo career. Having
suffered greatly without the collaboration of Queen, Freddie manages to
reunite with his bandmates just in time for Live Aid. While bravely
facing a recent AIDS diagnosis, Freddie leads the band in one of the
greatest performances in the history of rock music. Queen cements a
legacy that continues to inspire outsiders, dreamers and music lovers to
this day.
My jaw dropped in my lap when I saw actor Rami Malek
come across the screen! He looked, acted, and sounded like Freddie Mercury! It was uncanny!
When the Camera 7 Cinemas closed in the Pruneyard Campbell back in 2017, a piece of me died. This was my home away from home. Even before I started this blog, I practically lived there. I fully supported the Camera Cinemas for years. When it was announced that the theater was going to be closed for a complete remodel, I was hesitant. I knew that when it would reopen, it wasn't going to be the Camera 7 I knew and loved. When it did finally reopened as the Pruneyard Cinemas Dine-In, it felt like a slap in the face. The Camera Cinemas were now extinct, and all I have are the memories. But I was very curious about what it looked like. So, I finally broke down and went to see a movie there. Of course, the first movie I see there would be a horror film. Did you expect anything less of me? After work on Thursday, I went and saw THE NUN, the latest installment of THE CONJURING universe.
The film's official synopsis: When a young nun at a cloistered abbey in Romania takes her own
life, a priest with a haunted past and a novitiate on the threshold of
her final vows are sent by the Vatican to investigate. Together they
uncover the order's unholy secret. Risking not only their lives but
their faith and their very souls, they confront a malevolent force in
the form of the same demonic nun that first terrorized audiences in THE CONJURING 2, as the abbey becomes a horrific battleground between the
living and the damned.
The setting of the abbey gave the movie an eerie feel of atmosphere and dread. This was the perfect location to tell the story. It felt like a meld of a Hammer Horror film and a Lucio Fulci Italian movie. This was a my favorite part of this fright flick. The other was the acting.
Our heroine Sister Irene (Taissa Farmiga) brought that innocence and naiveté that helps our character to grow and become a stronger, powerful instrument of God. Farmiga was the perfect casting choice for bringing character development and depth. And in case you were wondering, yes, she is the younger sister of Academy Award nominee Vera Farmiga. Her on-screen chemistry with lead actor Demián Bichir as Father Burke were great, but it's the final showdown with the nun herself, Bonnie Aaron, that proves that she's got the acting chops to be a lead actress. Also, Bichir is one of the scariest freaking nun I've ever seen in a movie before!
Director Corin Hardy got his start making a series of video shorts before making his feature film debut with the 2015 indie horror flick THE HALLOW, which garnered decent reviews. Here, he looks like he takes command of the movie; combining chills, supernatural scares, and atmospheric dread. The only real complaint is the script, which falls into the laps of screenwriters Gary Dauberman and James Wan. I felt like the script needed to be more tightened up, better character arcs, not have the nun appear almost throughout the film, her backstory could've been more imaginative, and better dialogue because, in some scenes, they were a little cringe worthy. Seriously.
As I sit and write this review, the film has already garnered $228.7million worldwide! And the film's budget was only $22 million! Quite an impressive feat since it only came out on September 7th. This proves that there is an audience for these types of movies. The horror genre has a proven track record; that they can make a studio a lot of money on shoe-string budgets. We as fans want to see horror films, but make sure that there good horror films! And with the success of this movie, it proves that fans are still interested in THE CONJURING universe, so let's keep the fans happy here folks.
THE NUN is a supernatural fright film that will satisfy fans of the THE CONJURING universe! While not a perfect film, it was an entertaining, atmospheric, thrilling ghost story with some truly creepy scares that will chill you to the bone! 3 1/2 out of 5 stars! It's worth a look!
THE NUN is playing in theaters nationwide,
including at the Pruneyard Cinemas Dine-In here in the Bay Area. To view
showtimes, visit their website at www.pruneyardcinemas.com.
