The Zachtastic Movie Blog

(Poster courtesy Wikipedia ) While the world has been accustomed to video games being adapted for the big screen, the same is not the case for smartphone applications. I still consider Angry Birds to be a video game, but even so, this film epitomizes Hollywood’s tendency to capitalize on popular brands. Produced by Rovio itself, with the assets of Sony providing technical and financial support, the adaptation of the hugely popular mobile game attempts to bank on what made the game so successful--quirky humor, vibrant visuals and high entertainment value. It is those things that I put to the test as I sat and watched this film on Monday night. There is only so much that you can do in terms of crafting a story from this type of game, so kudos to Rovio’s team for actually piecing something together for the big screen. The story of The Angry Birds Movie primarily focuses on Red (Jason Sudeikis), who is one of many flightless birds that happily reside on Bird Island. ...

(Poster courtesy Wikipedia ) Sometimes I simply miss out on some of the movies that come to theaters. I do my best to get to the theater when I can, but other priorities take precedence: Church, family, work and school. When The Lady in the Van came to the local Cinemark, I desired to see it considering its Tomatometer rating . However, life kept me from acting on that desire, which is a shame since this film only stayed at that theater for a week. But with my (perhaps unnecessary) apology now set aside, I now stand ready to share my brief opinion on this slice of British cinema. And yes, I do very much appreciate films that come from the United Kingdom; such an admiration was also one of the deciding factors for my viewing of The Lady in the Van on VidAngel . Starring Alex Jennings and veteran actress Maggie Smith (most widely known for playing Professor McGonagall in the Harry Potter film franchise), the story of this film is a quirky, mostly fact-based me...

VidAngel is a media streaming service which allows viewers to filter any sort of content they choose. For me, I choose to not watch R-rated films in theaters based on certain content. I still have plenty of interest in these films, though, so I use VidAngel as a platform for watching new R-rated releases on demand, and then share my opinion. Considering that much will have already been written by these films by the time I watch them, these reviews will be brief. Click here for an archive of all the films I’ve reviewed via VidAngel. (Poster courtesy Wikipedia ) And now I transition from some of the award show darlings to popular cinema. Thus far, the highly-anticipated film adaptation of Marvel’s Deadpool has been one of the most successful films of 2016. It was a surprising hit with critics, and the film eventually grossed nearly $800 million at the worldwide box office. This film’s popularity sprouts out of its protagonist’s edgy character traits: a foul mouth, ...

(Poster courtesy Wikipedia ) Once this year is over there will have been six different comic book films released in theaters. While this is a great time for nerds to rejoice at the movies, there is a potential problem with so many new films being released. The superhero genre is becoming such a pervasive part of cinema that one could say that its formula is growing increasingly tired. Because of this, along with the fact that so many new movies are being produced, the task which Hollywood filmmakers now face is that of turning the tables for their audiences. Such seemed to be the case with Marvel's Captain America: Civil War , in which the conflict at hand is much more about the heroes themselves than a larger-than-life villain. The film’s story picks up one year after the events of Avengers: Age of Ultron , in which the Avengers are now becoming figures of controversy (don’t worry, I will not venture into spoiler territory here). As a result of their brave yet violent...

Considering all that is currently taking place in my life--finishing the semester up, moving to an apartment, preparing for a trip to Iowa, etc--I figured that writing three distinct reviews for recently-released movies would be a little too much of a hassle. As much as I enjoy this great hobby, unnecessarily using up my time is not always pleasant. The important things in life take precedence, so that is why I have chosen to write a "Triple Review" today.  This post will consist of succinct opinions about three films I have recently seen: Mother’s Day , Ratchet and Clank , as well as Sing Street . I hope you enjoy reading this “special” post! It will be presented as brief reactions to these three films, so do not expect full reviews (or “ Red Flag for Parents ” sections) here. Mother’s Day (Poster courtesy Wikipedia ) The runtime of Mother’s Day was 118 minutes. ...118 minutes!! You perhaps already made the assumption that I hated this heap of g...