Filmlosophers

The Filmlosophers brave Crime Alley with this week’s review of the long awaited film of the year, Justice League. Directed by Zack Snyder, the film has a star-studded cast including Ben Affleck, Gal Gadot, Ezra Miller, Jason Momoa, Henry Cavill, Ray Fisher, Ciarán Hinds , Jeremy Irons, and others. Does the film do the franchise “justice?” How does the franchise fare after the immense success of Wo...

The Filmlosophers, Eddie Villanueva and Chad Riley, The Filmlosophers tour the spaceways and spar with the gladiators of Sakaar in this week’s spoiler review of Marvel Studios’ latest release, Thor: Ragnarok (2017). Starring Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston, Idris Elba, Anthony Hopkins, Cate Blanchett, Tessa Thompson, Jeff Goldblum, Karl Urban and Mark Ruffalo, the film marks the MCU debut of accla...

The Filmlosophers, Eddie Villanueva and Chad Riley, summon a ride on the Bifrost Bridge to prepare for next week’s debut of the highly anticipated Thor: Ragnarok (2017) with a recap and review of the franchise’s two previous installments, Thor (2011) and Thor: The Dark World (2013). As the MCU’s first foray into cosmic (mis)adventures, the Thor franchise has a surprisingly crucial role in establis...

The Filmlosophers, Eddie Villanueva and Chad Riley, take a walk down memory lane with this week’s review of The Princess Bride (1987), which celebrates its 30th Anniversary this month. One of the most quotable films of all time, it’s the “inconceivable” cult favorite that translated the concept of the romantic comedy for a more youthful audience. Starring Cary Elwes, Robin Wright, Mandy Patinkin,...

The Filmlosophers, Eddie Villanueva and Chad Riley, zip up their collared jackets and head to the post-apocalyptic future of Blade Runner 2049 (2017), Denis Villenueve’s gorgeous sequel to Ridley Scott’s sci-fi masterpiece starring Ryan Gosling, Harrison Ford, Robin Wright, Jared Leto, Ana de Armas and Sylvia Hoeks. From the cinematography to the score, and everywhere in between, there’s a lot to...

The Filmlosophers, Eddie Villanueva and Chad Riley, prep for this weekend’s most anticipated release with a throwback review of Blade Runner (1982), Ridley Scott’s sci-fi masterpiece starring Harrison Ford, Rutger Hauer, Darryl Hannah and Edward James Olmos. Based on Philip K. Dick’s “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?”, the film stands tall as one of the most beloved examples of dystopic fictio...

The Filmlosophers, Eddie Villanueva and Chad Riley, welcome Spencer Williams and get confused about their own existence during this week’s review of Darren Aronofsky’s new film, mother! (2017), starring Jennifer Lawrence, Javier Bardem, Ed Harris and Michelle Pfeiffer. As critical and public responses continue to indicate, this is a film that easily provokes and confounds its audience regardless o...

The Filmlosophers, Eddie Villanueva and Chad Riley, don their bespoke suits and dress it up for this week’s review of Kingsman: The Golden Circle (2017), starring Taron Egerton, Mark Strong, Colin Firth and Julianne Moore. With guest starring turns from Channing Tatum, Halle Berry, Pedro Pascal and Jeff Bridges - not to mention a series of cameos from Elton John - the film marks the first sequel o...

The Filmlosophers, Eddie Villanueva and Chad Riley, dabble in a bit of spycraft with this week’s overview of the thrilling genre of spy movies. From some of Hitchcock’s greatest works to prominent franchises featuring marquee characters like James Bond, Jason Bourne and even Dom Torreto, we’re taking a look at the compelling and secretive world of espionage on film. In movie news, we celebrate War...

The Filmlosophers, Eddie Villanueva and Chad Riley, face their fears with a review of It (2017), a new adaptation of Stephen King’s killer clown novel. Coming on the heels of the lackluster adaptation of another Stephen King novel, The Dark Tower (2017), does this outing prove to be more engaging? Also, how does it compare to the 1990 television mini-series starring Tim Curry as Pennywise?

The Filmlosophers discuss the hilarity of vulgarity in The Hitman’s Bodyguard (2017), the bromantic action comedy you’ve heard so much about starring Samuel L. Jackson and Ryan Reynolds. The profanity-laden film follows two highly trained specialists—one an assassin, the other a private bodyguard—trying to overcome an aggressive team of mercenaries and reach the international criminal court at The...

The Filmlosophers, Eddie Villanueva and Chad Riley, welcome guest commentator Wendy Day for a reflective review of Detroit (2017), directed by Kathryn Bigelow and starring John Boyega, Will Poulter, Algee Smith, Jacob Latimore, Anthony Mackie and many more. The film recounts the horrifying events that transpired at the Algiers Motel in the midst of the summer of 1967, when racial tensions boiled o...

The Filmlosophers, Eddie Villanueva and Chad Riley, venture into the realm of modern myth-making with their review of the much anticipated film adaptation of Stephen King’s The Dark Tower (2017), starring Idris Elba as Roland Deschain, the Gunslinger, and Matthew McConaughey as Walter O’Dim, the Man in Black. After spending many years stuck in development hell, was the new film from director Nikol...

The Filmlosophers, Eddie Villanueva and Chad Riley, welcome frequent guest and outspoken advocate Laura Sirikul for a timely conversation about the growing influence of women in film, both on and behind the screen. As the number of female-led stories continues to expand and roles open up for women in prominent leadership roles behind the camera, what are some indicators of meaningful progress...an...

The Filmlosophers, Eddie Villanueva and Chad Riley, share thoughts on Christopher Nolan’s taut, tense new film, Dunkirk (2017), which interweaves multiple narratives to depict one of World War II’s most intense stories of struggle and triumph. After nearly two hours spent in near-constant suspense, what impact did the tight shots, resonant sounds and epic aerial dogfights have on our delicate psyc...

The Filmlosophers, Eddie Villanueva and Chad Riley, head deep into the motion capture wilderness of Matt Reeve’s War for the Planet of the Apes (2017) starring Andy Serkis, Woody Harrelson and Steve Zahn. As the Simian Flu continues to transform the planet, how will that impact the tense interactions between sentient apes and humans who fear being supplanted as the dominant species on the planet?...

The Filmlosophers, Eddie Villanueva and Chad Riley, embrace their darker side with a review of Despicable Me 3 (2017), wherein reformed villain Gru, voiced by Steve Carell, considers going back to his dastardly evil days after parting ways with most of his Minions and meeting his twin brother Dru, also voiced by Steve Carell, for the first time. This third installment marks a turning point for the...

The Filmlosophers, Eddie Villanueva and Chad Riley, join with Sacramento's best cosplayer, Trenton Brewer, to relive the hormone-infused days of high school with a spoiler-filled recap of Spider-man: Homecoming (2017) starring Tom Holland, Michael Keaton and Robert Downey Jr. With a flurry of nods to the other films of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, this latest take on the friendly neighborhood we...

The Filmlosophers, Eddie Villanueva and Chad Riley, test drive Edgar Wright’s critical darling, Baby Driver (2017). Starring Ansel Elgort, Kevin Spacey, Lily James, Jon Hamm and Jamie Foxx, the film centers on a young wheelman named Baby as he navigates his roles as criminal, foster son and boyfriend. The inventive film showcases much more than a series of car stunts, with a distinctive soundtrack...

The Filmlosophers, Eddie Villanueva and Chad Riley, don’t need to dive very deep for this review of Transformers: The Last Knight (2017). Allegedly the final directorial turn for Michael Bay in this franchise, the film stars Mark Wahlberg, Sir Anthony Hopkins and a host of characters that blur together in the latest bit of Bayhem. In industry news, the team relays news of directorial changes on th...

The Filmlosophers, Eddie Villanueva and Chad Riley, take a crash course in child prodigy psychology for Colin Trevorrow’s latest project, The Book of Henry (2017). Starring Naomi Watts, Dean Norris, Sarah Silverman and newcomer Jaeden Lieberher, the tale offers a unique take on the mentality and influence of a young genius while asking serious questions about the responsibilities of parents and ci...

The Filmlosophers, Eddie Villanueva and Chad Riley, take to the seven seas for six pieces of eight and a shanty song for the Pirates of the Caribbean film saga from Walt Disney Studios and Bruckheimer Films. From The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003) to Dead Men Tell No Tales (2017), the franchise has at turns entertained, disappointed, delighted and confused moviegoers while reinvigorating the care...

The Filmlosophers, Eddie Villanueva and Chad Riley, journey back to the days of World War I for a review of the highly anticipated new DCEU film Wonder Woman (2017) from Patty Jenkins. Starring Gal Gadot, Chris Pine, Robin Wright, Connie Nielsen, David Thewlis and more, the film marks the second appearance - and first solo outing - of the most popular female superhero in comics.

The Filmlosophers, Eddie Villanueva and Chad Riley, head to the stars for a review of Ridley Scott’s newest film, Alien: Covenant (2017). Starring Michael Fassbender in a dual role and new characters played by Katherine Waterston, Danny McBride and Billy Crudup, among others, the latest installment is a successor to Prometheus (2014) - but does it do its job in terms of leading into the original A...

The Filmlosophers, Eddie Villanueva and Chad Riley, pull sword from stone and rack up some hit points in this week’s review of Guy Ritchie’s mythbusting King Arthur: Legend of the Sword (2017), starring Charlie Hunnam, Jude Law, Djimon Hounsou and Eric Bana. With a new, streetwise take on one of Western literature’s most recognizable figures, and a series of sequences that seem plucked straight ou...