tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-78507508915690329272024-03-18T16:21:19.299-05:00VIEWS ON FILMWelcome all film buffs. Enjoy a vast list of both long and short reviews. All reviews posted by myself, Film Critic Jesse Burleson. Also on staff is my colleague and nephew, Film Critic Cole Pollyea. He also has his own blog titled, "ccconfilm.blogspot.com".
We welcome your feedback and comments. Let VIEWS ON FILM guide you to your next movie.
Rating System: ****Stars: A Classic ***Stars: Good **Stars: Fair *Star: Poor No Stars: Terrible, a waste of time.VIEWS ON FILMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12772905654296346766noreply@blogger.comBlogger1098125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7850750891569032927.post-14191824561473376062024-03-18T16:20:00.000-05:002024-03-18T16:20:46.021-05:00Cat and Dog 2024 * 1/2 StarsDEAD CAT BOUNCEWhat I learned from 2024's Cat and Dog, is that its filmmakers need more of a purpose than just servicing their art form. I mean you can have all the split screens, slow-mos, and bisection of animation in the world and not find an audience. Cat and Dog, well it's too violent and offhandedly creepy for the kiddies. And well, it's too annoying and tiredly dated for the adults. "VIEWS ON FILMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12772905654296346766noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7850750891569032927.post-81231751584626618622024-03-15T03:53:00.001-05:002024-03-15T03:53:07.231-05:00David Foster: Off the Record 2019 * * 1/2 StarsSET THIS RECORD STRAIGHT2019's David Foster: Off the Record is an overwhelming documentary that appears like an elongated checklist for the GOAT of record producers (that would David Foster of course). I mean for every moment of acknowledging Dave's startling greatness and distance-running success, there's more, almost two hours more. "Off the Record", well it feels like a celebration of life forVIEWS ON FILMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12772905654296346766noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7850750891569032927.post-75551606856940177892024-03-12T09:40:00.000-05:002024-03-12T09:40:29.071-05:00The Principal 1987 * * * StarsROUGH DISSERTATION1987's The Principal is like an updated version of '82's Class of 1984. You know, stuff in which an educator has to work in a rundown school where gangs and druggie students run afoul. The only difference is that the latter ditches the punk element, doesn't feature Michael J. Fox, and is a little less demented. Take heed though, The Principal is still a metaled, razor blade of aVIEWS ON FILMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12772905654296346766noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7850750891569032927.post-46308823219747224242024-03-08T05:05:00.000-06:002024-03-08T05:05:42.180-06:00Full Circle 2023 * * * StarsAT FULL TILTThere are a lot of people who might not know the names Trevor Kennison and Barry Corbet (initially I was one of those people). Trevor and Barry are plankers who suffered spinal injuries and were forced to alter their lifestyles for better or worse. Their account is told through the tenderhearted yet partial lens of 2023's Full Circle."Circle", well it's more about Kennison than CorbetVIEWS ON FILMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12772905654296346766noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7850750891569032927.post-69031230004288292452024-03-05T08:07:00.000-06:002024-03-05T08:07:30.056-06:00Tremors 1990 * * * StarsAFTER SHOOKI remember seeing 1990's Tremors on opening night back in the day. It was one of those few January-released films that the critics and audience members actually embraced. Star Kevin Bacon dons a cowboy head covering and a southern accent, with signature long hair and Jerry Springer slant in tote. Country music singer Reba McEntire, well she plays a gun-toting housewife with an itchy VIEWS ON FILMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12772905654296346766noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7850750891569032927.post-89556761037793378652024-03-01T19:39:00.001-06:002024-03-02T02:10:04.540-06:00Lover, Stalker, Killer 2024 * * * 1/2 StarsKILLER ZONEGiving you the feeling that it's just better to be catfished than having an actual person put you through the courting wringer, 2024's Lover, Stalker, Killer is a chilling documentary about failed relationships, the devotion to that lingers, some creep up on stature, and some would-be murder. "Never get involved with crazy" as they say. Clocking in at 90 minutes with a twist near the VIEWS ON FILMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12772905654296346766noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7850750891569032927.post-34477270295732242472024-02-28T03:51:00.001-06:002024-02-28T13:49:00.117-06:00Wheelman 2017 * * * StarsFREEWHEELER The wheelman in 2017's Wheelman is named the anonymous "wheelman". He is portrayed by Frank Grillo in a role that he was probably born to play. Grillo's style of acting is to appear fervent, raw, and rattled, like a dude who lives his life the same as a New York minute. In almost every frame of Wheelman that runs 82 minutes, Frank Grillo is like Ryan O'Neal, Ryan Gosling, and VIEWS ON FILMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12772905654296346766noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7850750891569032927.post-43841244211259156892024-02-24T06:40:00.000-06:002024-02-24T06:40:44.007-06:00Mike Epps: Ready to Sell Out 2024 * * StarsSELL SHORTA lot of stand-up specials always seem so generic, like some "now you see it, now you don't" cash grab. 2024's Mike Epps: Ready to Sell Out, well it clocks in at 61 minutes with little intro, a small Phoenix, Arizona venue for shooting, and mostly marginal laughs. "I know you guys see me in the movies, but the money's gone". Like I said, cash grab.But hey, I'm not saying Mike Epps (the VIEWS ON FILMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12772905654296346766noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7850750891569032927.post-7008050762693202262024-02-22T00:35:00.000-06:002024-02-22T00:35:13.810-06:00Four Falls of Buffalo 2015 * * * StarsFOUR EYEDFour Falls of Buffalo is a 30 for 30 documentary of anguish and lost yearning. For every moment of light at the end of the tunnel, there is the pain and disillusionment of the Buffalo Bills losing four Super Bowls in a row. "Four Falls", well it's a downer but at least it's straight-from-the-shoulder as the interviewees speak without argument. Former Bills QB Jim Kelly and former Bills VIEWS ON FILMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12772905654296346766noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7850750891569032927.post-75162335352400813902024-02-18T07:19:00.000-06:002024-02-18T07:19:15.063-06:00The Legend of Billie Jean 1985 * * * Stars"WE CAN'T AFFORD TO BE INNOCENT"The Legend of Billie Jean is a product of the "Greed decade", probably because it was made in 1985. It's in the techno soundtrack, the summer outfits, the mullet hairstyles, and that theme song by Pat Benatar that sticks in your craw. At 96 minutes, "Billie Jean" also combines the hero drama with a whiff of some depraved, Jerry Springer episode. "You like anything VIEWS ON FILMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12772905654296346766noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7850750891569032927.post-51393290584838693232024-02-14T12:52:00.000-06:002024-02-14T12:52:38.153-06:00Players 2024 * * StarsDIDN'T HATE PLAYERS, JUST DIDN'T LIKE THE GAMEI'm not gonna lie, most romantic comedies feel dated (no pun intended). They just do. Take 2024's Players for instance. It appears like it's straight from the bin of the early-to-mid 2000s, when stars Kate Hudson, Drew Barrymore, Adam Sandler, Katherine Heigl, and Matthew McConaughey ruled the roost. It's like the evolution of falling in love well, VIEWS ON FILMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12772905654296346766noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7850750891569032927.post-39988577069511595942024-02-13T10:24:00.001-06:002024-02-13T10:53:21.698-06:00The Best of Times 1986 * * * StarsWE'LL TAKE THE BEST, FORGET THE REST Yup, the Super Bowl has ended and I still just can't get enough football. What do I do? Well I decide to watch a hidden 80s nugget called The Best of Times. No not that top ten ditty from the band Styx, we're talking cinema here, Kurt Russell and Robin Williams as middle-aged dudes trying to get their gridiron on over a decade later. "Play the game again.VIEWS ON FILMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12772905654296346766noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7850750891569032927.post-5528072399269891172024-02-09T05:08:00.000-06:002024-02-09T05:08:07.629-06:0099 Homes 2014 * * 1/2 StarsPREMISES LIABILITY2014's 99 Homes is directed by under the radar guy Ramin Bahrani. As a film about real estate and cataclysmic abode foreclosures, 99 Homes shows that Bahrani did his research, aided by two other writers to pen a rather minute script. "I didn't kick you out the bank did". Ouch.Taking place in Orlando, Florida amidst the blue collar haze of sunny suburbia, 99 Homes starts off VIEWS ON FILMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12772905654296346766noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7850750891569032927.post-43284579884985790062024-02-05T23:19:00.002-06:002024-02-06T22:37:51.024-06:00Wildcats 1986 * * * StarsFORWARD PASSEDThe NFL football season is about to wind up and since there's a week break between now and the big game (that would be the Super Bowl), I decided to revisit 1986's Wildcats. With Wildcats, you get a perfectly cast Goldie Hawn and glimpses of the first film roles of Woody Harrelson and Wesley Snipes. "It's the sport of kings, better than diamond rings". Oh you know it.So yeah, VIEWS ON FILMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12772905654296346766noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7850750891569032927.post-82323114649190784622024-02-02T17:22:00.005-06:002024-02-03T12:02:57.039-06:00Circle 2015 * * 1/2 StarsOUTER CIRCLE2015's Circle represented a new breed of horror almost ten years ago. Even seeing it now for the first time I was taken aback. Fifty people who are virtual strangers are held captive in God knows where, standing on platforms, unable to move, and being offed one by one by way of the other's vote. So yeah, if you like a Saw and/or The Menu wannabe that kind of holds back on the VIEWS ON FILMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12772905654296346766noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7850750891569032927.post-80344897700715544972024-01-30T12:44:00.002-06:002024-01-30T21:51:42.383-06:00The Greatest Night in Pop 2024 * * 1/2 StarsTALK ABOUT, POP MUSIC2024's The Greatest Night in Pop represents the biggest stars in the music industry getting together to record the single, "We Are the World". You could say it was a surreal experience back in 1985, seeing Michael Jackson and Kenny Rogers and Huey Lewis and Diana Ross you know, just hanging out. If you're a sucker for nostalgia (and I am) and were born in the 70s (and I was),VIEWS ON FILMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12772905654296346766noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7850750891569032927.post-54548502075303582742024-01-27T12:35:00.003-06:002024-01-27T14:55:54.396-06:00The 35th Annual Notre Dame Student Film Festival, January 26-28th, 2024I've been covering the Notre Dame Student Festival on and off since 2014. Here are some of the highlights from this year along with favorable ratings. After the Race * * * Stars-It's about race dogs who after competing, find solace in a pooch retirement home that's run for non-profit. If you like furry, hounds in their golden years (most people do), then After the Race will make you feel VIEWS ON FILMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12772905654296346766noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7850750891569032927.post-36441641147094348982024-01-26T03:25:00.000-06:002024-01-26T03:25:29.406-06:00Calibre 2018 * * * StarsHARD SHELL"Go to the police? It will be considered murder". So says the character of Marcus in 2018's Calibre. He's probably right you know. I mean two strangers are dead and two other strangers who they came in contact with are alive. Bodies are moved, weapons are confiscated, no self-defense, crime scene is abandoned. Um, do the math.Anyway movies like Calibre suck me in, they just do. We're VIEWS ON FILMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12772905654296346766noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7850750891569032927.post-44134579582247365682024-01-22T01:00:00.000-06:002024-01-22T01:00:13.131-06:00Sixty Minutes 2024 * * * StarsONE HOT MINUTE"I can't right now, I've got a fight". Yeah you do, with the opposing fighter and every other ruffian looking to come to blows. Somebody give this dude a time out. Stat!Anyway, Sixty Minutes is an action movie in every sense of the word. I mean every character in it knows how to brawl, as if Chuck Norris arrived on set as some AARP advisor. "Minutes" is also a race-against-time VIEWS ON FILMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12772905654296346766noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7850750891569032927.post-54241761053753521582024-01-19T06:29:00.000-06:002024-01-19T06:29:05.536-06:00Snowmageddon 2011 * * StarsSNOW BLINDEDWhat I learned from 2011's Snowmageddon, is that a disaster movie can still be low-budgeted and have those cheesy, tangible Syfy special effects. I mean when something explodes in this flick, it looks like firecrackers going off or "Yo Yo" sparklers instead of an actual rumble. You sort of snicker even though overt devastation is truly at hand. Anyway here is the gist of VIEWS ON FILMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12772905654296346766noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7850750891569032927.post-59286039456377422442024-01-16T09:25:00.005-06:002024-01-16T12:51:56.668-06:00Night Swim 2024 * * 1/2 StarsSINK OR SWIMMostly known for shorts, Bryce McGuire directs the pseudo Hitchcockian Night Swim. With "Swim", McGuire initially uses every camera angled frame to signal a little danger coming right around the corner. The pool (and you knew there was gonna be a pool) is the unequivocal star. "Marco, Polo". Uh-oh, you know what that means. Night Swim, well let's put it into perspective. VIEWS ON FILMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12772905654296346766noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7850750891569032927.post-12168562698143750862024-01-13T03:24:00.001-06:002024-01-13T14:54:03.194-06:00Snowbound 2017 * 1/2 StarsNOT BOUND FOR GLORY2017's Snowbound is definitely about the snow, what with all the overhead shots and caps of an icy, wintry wonderland. Too bad the film is also about being a lousy version of Saw, where people awaken in an unknown area and don't know how they got there. Oh and some evil dude is involving said people in a deadly game of survival. Snowbound's opening scene, well it's a revealing VIEWS ON FILMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12772905654296346766noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7850750891569032927.post-43640793396165749632024-01-10T10:38:00.002-06:002024-01-10T11:33:02.636-06:00Trees Lounge 1996 * * 1/2 StarsDRINK OFFBrooklyn native Steve Buscemi made his directorial debut with 1996's Trees Lounge. And ever since, he has made a few more films as well as helming some episodes of TV shows (Love, The Sopranos, Oz). With "Lounge", Buscemi takes on the lead too, playing alcoholic and unemployed car mechanic Tommy Basilio. Steve's Tommy acts as a sort of Greek chorus but hey, the bar remains the star. "VIEWS ON FILMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12772905654296346766noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7850750891569032927.post-18175549794110547792024-01-06T12:43:00.000-06:002024-01-06T12:43:04.393-06:00Bitconned 2024 * * * StarsFOR THE LOVE OF FAKE MONEY2024's Bitconned is a fascinating documentary about three dudes who scammed the American public through cryptocurrency. How'd they do it? Well they did it through a fake company called Centra Tech. I mean I didn't know much about the concept of digital tokens but director Bryan Storkel gave me the tech-y lowdown. Obviously there are no judgments here.Robert Farkas, VIEWS ON FILMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12772905654296346766noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7850750891569032927.post-34359069153129937522024-01-04T04:06:00.000-06:002024-01-04T04:06:32.095-06:00The Boys in the Boat 2023 * * * StarsGOOD OLD BOYSLast year I saw George Clooney's The Tender Bar. Now in 2024, I caught a showing of his new flick, The Boys in the Boat. George as a director, well he longs for the past, the wistful lightness of being. I mean just look at his directorial resume. That's right, ninety percent of his stuff takes place before the 1980s. The Boys in the Boat has to do with the University of Washington VIEWS ON FILMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12772905654296346766noreply@blogger.com0