High-Def Digest: The Bonus ViewDaisy Ridley Archives - High-Def Digest: The Bonus View

‘Peter Rabbit’ Review: Beatrix Potter Plus Slapstick

Philip Brown — Fri, 09 Feb 2018 13:00:04 +0000

In the wake of the whimsical joy of the irresistibly charming ‘Paddington’ movies, along comes ‘Peter Rabbit’, another classic British children’s yarn due for an update. Unfortunately, the folks behind this movie opted to take a different direction, and made an almost inexplicably meta and faux-irreverent slab of slapstick comedy that won’t please either the...

The post ‘Peter Rabbit’ Review: Beatrix Potter Plus Slapstick appeared first on High-Def Digest: The Bonus View.

‘Star Wars: The Last Jedi’ Review: Rian Strikes Back

Philip Brown — Wed, 13 Dec 2017 13:00:32 +0000

The new ‘Star Wars’ trilogy has finally found its own voice and identity. After the nostalgia-fueled tears and cheers of J.J. Abrams’ relentlessly crowd-pleasing (and pandering?) ‘The Force Awakens’, oddball genre mashup artist Rian Johnson (‘Brick’, ‘Looper’) cracked the code and found a new direction for those adventures in a galaxy far, far away. Yes,...

The post ‘Star Wars: The Last Jedi’ Review: Rian Strikes Back appeared first on High-Def Digest: The Bonus View.

‘Murder on the Orient Express’ (2017) Review: Murder Most Middlebrow

Philip Brown — Thu, 09 Nov 2017 20:00:41 +0000

In the grand scheme of movies that needed to exist in 2017, ‘Murder on the Orient Express’ ranks somewhere near the bottom of the list. There have been a variety of adaptations of this Agatha Christie whodunnit over the years and Kenneth Branagh’s new version doesn’t add much beyond modern movie spectacle. While it’s a...

The post ‘Murder on the Orient Express’ (2017) Review: Murder Most Middlebrow appeared first on High-Def Digest: The Bonus View.

‘The Eagle Huntress’ Review: Inspiring Real-Life Schmaltz

Philip Brown — Fri, 04 Nov 2016 15:00:43 +0000

Here’s a story so ripe for the moment that it’s amazing it wasn’t scripted. Aisholpan Nurgaiv is a Kazakh teenager breaking a gender divide that has stretched on for generations to become the first female eagle hunter. Director Otto Bell found this story through photographs and was so moved by it that he flew across...

The post ‘The Eagle Huntress’ Review: Inspiring Real-Life Schmaltz appeared first on High-Def Digest: The Bonus View.

The Flaws Awaken – Nitpicking the New ‘Star Wars’ Movie

Shannon Nutt — Mon, 21 Dec 2015 18:00:17 +0000

Before fanboys and fangirls out there ignite their lightsabers, let me preface this article by saying I liked ‘The Force Awakens’ – a lot. It was a monumental task for J.J. Abrams and company to revive the feeling most of us felt for the ‘Star Wars’ franchise back in the late 1970s/early ’80s, and for...

The post The Flaws Awaken – Nitpicking the New ‘Star Wars’ Movie appeared first on High-Def Digest: The Bonus View.

‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ Review: Thrilling Fan Service

Philip Brown — Wed, 16 Dec 2015 16:00:44 +0000

I’m not sure if you’re aware of this, but there’s a ‘Star Wars’ movie opening this weekend. A new one too. Not a Special Edition. Not even a prequel. In fact, George Lucas isn’t involved for reasons that even he understands. It’s called ‘The Force Awakens’. You might have heard about it, briefly. Out of...

The post ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ Review: Thrilling Fan Service appeared first on High-Def Digest: The Bonus View.

‘The Force’ Examined: Dissecting the ‘Star Wars’ Teaser

Shannon Nutt — Mon, 08 Dec 2014 20:00:33 +0000

Although it only runs about 90 seconds (including a number of fade-to-blacks between segments), the new teaser trailer for ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ might turn out be the most examined piece of footage since the Zapruder film. I’ve cataloged some of the most interesting shots to provide my take on each of them. While...

The post ‘The Force’ Examined: Dissecting the ‘Star Wars’ Teaser appeared first on High-Def Digest: The Bonus View.