Movie Reviews

By Tom Pacak Whether you like him or hate him, Michael Moore always brings a bazooka to a gunfight. The man has a strong conviction in his beliefs. He was one of the only few liberal figures to not dismiss a Trump victory in 2016. Michael Moore’s new documentary “Fahrenheit 11/9” shows how we got Trump and what we have to do to get rid of him before it’s too late. Now, I know a lot of my conservative buddies will dismiss this as a partisan attack on Trump. Yes, Moore hates Trump but he’s also pissed off at a lot of people on his side. The Clintons, Democratic establishment (Pelosi and Schumer), the media’s love for Trump, and even Moore’s boy Barack Obama get shots thrown at them. Moore deserves props for calling out his side in a climate where most people would remain silent. As Bill Maher would say, “That’s what friends do. They call each other out when they screw up.” A silver lining in this documentary for Trump lovers is that the Trump coverage here is actually the ...

By Tom Pacak I don’t even know where to start with Panos Cosmatos sophomore effort “Mandy,” a balls to the wall stylish action revenge thriller about a man who destroys life after life has destroyed him. Director Panos Cosmatos is one of those directors that requires you to watch his work first before you start analyzing. His directorial debut “Beyond the Black Rainbow” was inconsistent with its plot but a visual treat for film lovers. Same goes for “Mandy.” Nick Cage gets to do what he does best, going over-the-top to the point where it’s laughable, relatable, and sad. He’s the only actor of his generation who’s able to possess this rare talent. Whether he’s in a good movie (Adaptation. a movie with not only one Nick Cage, but two) or a bad movie (The Wicker Man, OH NOT THE BEES), I always enjoy watching this guy go in Nicholas Rage mode. Set in 1983 AD, Red (Nicolas Cage) is a lumberjack working in the Shadow Mountains. The opening credits paint Red as a tough workin...

By Tom Pacak Five black/tan labs; Primrose a female yellow lab, Potomac a male black lab, Poppet a female black lab, Phil a male yellow lab, Patriot a male black lab, and Luna an extremely well-behaved black lab (Just kidding). These five spirited pups will have to go through the toughest training to become guide dogs for the blind. Some will survive the training; others will be too wild to pass. That’s the basic set up for this adorable documentary from co-directors Dana Nachman and Don Hardy. If there’s one documentary that’s got the “Awwww” factor, it’s this one. Opening up with a super important prologue, we get a quick look at how important guide dogs actually are. They’ve saved people from car accidents, traumatic falls, and even getting people out of the World Trade Center on 9/11. It’s clear the directors really care about having a furry friend at your side. Born in the campus of Guide Dogs for the Blind’s San Rafael in California, these five pups will go throu...

By Tom Pacak First off, I want to apologize for not seeing “Crazy Rich Asians” sooner. I was on vacation when the movie was released and college has kept me busy. So here we are, I finally saw “Crazy Rich Asians,” the first all Asian cast film since 1993’s “The Joy Luck Club.” It has received critical acclaim and the film is the August sleeper hit of 2018. It has been number one at the box office for three straight weekends. It dropped 6.4% in earnings its second weekend (which is rare) and went up 15.2% on Labor Day Weekend. I guess you can say this movie is pretty special. Now, the film itself is very entertaining. I’m actually kind of surprised to how fun this movie turned out to be. The director, Jon M. Chu, has directed bad entertaining movies that I wasn’t a fan of (Step Up 2-3, G.I. Joe: Retaliation). Chu, balances the interesting characters with beautiful set designs and wonderful music that has us asking for more (a sequel is already in development). Rache...