Movie Reviews

By Tom Pacak Last Monday, I walked into the local theater to see “Christopher Robin.” It was a 4:30 showing and my mind could use some entertainment. Keep in mind; I had a dentist appointment to get some cavities filled. My gums and mind were numb. Immediately, I saw four groups of parents, each having a pair of energetic kids. I decided not to see the movie because it looked like the kids would be loud and obnoxious. I regret that. If anything, the kids would have been the best part of “Christopher Robin.” Instead, I went to the 9:30 showing with nobody there. For any other movie, I would have been fine. Attending tonight shows is one of my favorite hobbies. But not “Christopher Robin,” a boring kids flick about the same cliché: in order to connect with your kids, you have to connect with your childhood. To be completely honest, I’ve never been a fan of Disney remaking old animated classics into live-action movies. I didn’t like 2016’s “The Jungle Book” (except for Bill...

By Tom Pacak It’s nice to have you back! Spike Lee returns to direct “BlacKkKlansman” the tale based on some “fo’ real, fo’ real shit,” told in Ron Stallworth’s memoir. Ron Stallworth (John David Washington, son of Denzel Washington) was a black Colorado Springs police officer that helped infiltrate the KKK and even spoke with David Duke (Topher Grace) over the phone. Stallworth didn’t do this alone, he had the help of his White Jewish partner, Flip Zimmerman (Adam Driver) go in and actually meet the Klan and Duke in person. Along the way, they helped stop a terrorist attack on several black activists. Spike Lee has made his living telling stories on race issues. Here, he pulls no punches; he wants us to have no empathy for the Klan and trust me, you don’t. He portrays them, as they should; hateful bumbling idiots who repeat Trump-like phrases, “America First” and “Make America Great Again.” It’s laughable at how ridiculous they sounded but at the same time, sad knowing ...

By Tom Pacak Who remembers eighth grade? I do (Puberty, recess, and trying to fit in.) My favorite memory of eighth grade was when my friends got suspended for throwing candy at people during a class trip. You couldn’t really have a judgment on the incident because my friends didn’t know any better we were kids. That’s how I see the adolescent characters in “Eighth Grade,” an honest and empathetic portrayal of going through eighth grade. We’ve all been through these phases and director Bo Burnham makes us observe without making judgment on these characters. The film focuses on Kayla Day (Elsie Fisher), she’s finishing her final week of middle school. She has a YouTube channel called “Kayla’s Korner” where she talks about “being yourself” and “putting yourself out there” while ending every sentence with “like” and looking at her notes repeatedly. It’s clear that she doesn’t have any confidence and is shy due to these repeated errors. For the class awards, she is awarded ...