Film Review – Riddle of Fire
The MacGuffin: Film and TV Reviews, Interviews, Analysis
by Allen Almachar
6d ago
Writer/director Weston Razooli goes for a deliberately whimsical tone with his feature length debut, Riddle of Fire (2023). Although the setting is in present day Wyoming, the tone and textures are reminiscent of a magical fantasy-world. In fact, the film is described as a “neo-fairytale,” in which characters on the fringe of society take part in an adventure that seems oddly enchanted. This is a very specific approach. Viewers will either dig what Razooli is doing or will be completely turned off. There were moments where things got a little too twee, a little too precious for ..read more
Visit website
Film Review – Road House
The MacGuffin: Film and TV Reviews, Interviews, Analysis
by Allen Almachar
6d ago
Road House (2024) has a goofy, testosterone-filled nuttiness that teeters on being too silly for its own good. Some of you may think that is a bad thing. But if you remember the Patrick Swayze starring 1989 vehicle of the same name, you may recall that that could have fit the description the exact same way. If anything, this loose remake’s biggest disadvantage is the era it was released. I could see this doing gangbusters on late night cable, providing a surprising level of entertainment, comedy, and action. Instead, it must compete in a crowded streaming arena. This i ..read more
Visit website
Film Review – Uproar
The MacGuffin: Film and TV Reviews, Interviews, Analysis
by Allen Almachar
1w ago
New Zealand, 1981. This was a time of major social strife. The era of Apartheid was alive in South Africa, which sparked global protests. It must’ve been a strange time to grow up, and yet that is where our protagonist, Josh (Julian Dennison) finds himself. Josh is a teen of Māori heritage, attending a majority white school that is more concerned with their rugby team than what is happening around the world. When news of the South African rugby team going on a tour of New Zealand, social activists take arms. This forces Josh to confront his own cultural identity, his place within his hometown ..read more
Visit website
Film Review – Knox Goes Away
The MacGuffin: Film and TV Reviews, Interviews, Analysis
by Allen Almachar
1w ago
The title of Knox Goes Away (2024) contains a double meaning. The first involves an aging contract killer – John Knox (Michael Keaton) – realizing that he is near the end of his time “in the game.” Long term employment is not a standard expectation in his line of business, and Knox knows sooner or later his misdeeds will catch up to him. The second meaning involves his deteriorating mind. Knox has been diagnosed with a rapid form of dementia. He learns that he will lose all memory in a matter of weeks. He’s instructed to get his affairs in order and seek treatment facilities before h ..read more
Visit website
Film Review – Spaceman
The MacGuffin: Film and TV Reviews, Interviews, Analysis
by Allen Almachar
3w ago
***Warning: This Review Contains Minor Spoilers*** At this point, it should no longer be a surprise to see Adam Sandler in roles that utilize his dramatic skillset. Sure, we’ve seen this side of him dating all the way back to the early part of his career. But for every Punch-Drunk Love (2002) we were inundated with a barrage of low-brow, cheap comedies. In recent years, “The Sand Man” has taken on parts that ask him to be more than just a lovable goofball – to really stretch himself as an actor. I, for one, welcome this new era. Whether the result is successful or not, I wo ..read more
Visit website
Film Review – Madame Web
The MacGuffin: Film and TV Reviews, Interviews, Analysis
by Allen Almachar
1M ago
Madame Web (2024) exists in one of those weird places where it is so silly, so ridiculous, and so outrageously inane that it’s almost worth seeing for the sheer calamity of it all. Some may see that as a positive. If there’s one criticism that has remained constant for superhero films (particularly the Marvel/Disney ones), it’s that they have increasingly felt factory produced. More and more, they lack personality. You can’t really say the same about this. As a Sony production, it does contain tons of identifiable traits – but not in the way it was possibly intended. T ..read more
Visit website
Film Review – This Is Me…Now
The MacGuffin: Film and TV Reviews, Interviews, Analysis
by Allen Almachar
1M ago
J-Lo just loves love, y’all. If there’s one thing about Jennifer Lopez’s This Is Me…Now (2024), it’s that she wears her heart completely on her sleeve. Coinciding with her latest album of the same name, this “film” plays like a collage of music videos with a loose story stringing them all together. This isn’t the first time an artist has gone on such a venture – we’ve seen this kind of production from Michael Jackson’s Moonwalker (1988) to Beyoncé’s Black Is King (2020). But what separates Lopez’s work from the others is how earnestly she puts the s ..read more
Visit website
Film Review – Lisa Frankenstein
The MacGuffin: Film and TV Reviews, Interviews, Analysis
by Sarah Ksiazek
1M ago
A teen romance flick with a deadly comedic twist—that should be the one-line summary of Lisa Frankenstein (2024). The film boasts the screenwriting talents of Diablo Cody (Juno, Tully), which promises some wacky writing (in a good way) with interesting characters.  Unfortunately, the film makes some quizzical choices and has flawed character development. Lisa Frankenstein follows Lisa (Kathryn Newton), a 1989 senior in high school in a new town and a new school.  Rumor has it that an axe murderer killed Lisa’s mom, and Lisa watched it all happen.  Because of this incident, Lisa ..read more
Visit website
Film Review – Suncoast
The MacGuffin: Film and TV Reviews, Interviews, Analysis
by Allen Almachar
1M ago
There are a lot of heavy themes running all throughout Suncoast (2024). Many of them can be politically triggering, involving the never-ending debate between pro-life vs. pro-choice, religion, and the ethics of death. Plenty of people have strong feelings about these topics, no matter what side of the fence they stand. But the film’s biggest shortcoming is that it plays things right down the middle. By choosing to be apolitical, it ends up not having very much to say about anything. It’s ok to have differing viewpoints – sharing ideas in constructive ways can help others possibly see ..read more
Visit website
Film Review – Fitting In
The MacGuffin: Film and TV Reviews, Interviews, Analysis
by Allen Almachar
1M ago
The human body is a weird, scary, and wonderful thing. This is especially true for women. Granted, I’m not the best person to go to when it comes to understanding the female body. The strangeness and terror of going through puberty, sexual awakening, menstrual cycles, pregnancy, childbirth, along with all the social pressures to look and act a certain way are all things I admit to having no clue. But what makes writer/director Molly McGlynn’s Fitting In (2023) work is that it allows us a glimpse into the mindset of a person dealing with many of these factors. We’re put into thei ..read more
Visit website

Follow The MacGuffin: Film and TV Reviews, Interviews, Analysis on FeedSpot

Continue with Google
Continue with Apple
OR