Jon Harvey's Pocket Reviews

Underwater feels like a modern homage to some of my favorite horror films of all-time. Despite a fun premise and some tense moments, the film ultimately falls short of anything more than a rental or a late night scare. On an oil drill deep in the Mariana Trench, seven miles underwater, a group of researchers become trapped when the rig implodes. As they find survivors and plan their escape, it becomes clear that something is hunting them. This is the last film released by 20th Century Fox, before Disney bought them and changed the name to 20th Century Studios. It was originally filmed in the spring of 2017 and was shelved. It could have something to do with alleged sexual assaulter and fake bomb threat caller T.J. Miller being cast as the comic relief. Whatever the reasons, the film feels like the end of an era as they move into a new one. After watching the trailer, you see the characters living going about their regular days before the mayhem begins. Unfortunatel...

Release Date: December 19, 2019 Director: J.J. Abrams Budget: $275 Million Screenplay: J.J. Abrams and Chris Terrio  With The Force Awakens , J.J. had created a comfortable return to a jumbled franchise. He opened Pandora's Box and let the internet run wild with theories. Who was Rey's parents? What was Snoke's real identity? Then came The Last Jedi , Rian Johnson's penultimate entry. It's an understatement to say that The Last Jedi was a controversial film. It left many fans angry, sad, and confused. What Johnson did creatively was to subvert everyone's expectations of explaining questions opened by Abrams. Who was Rey's parents? Nobody. What was Snoke's real identity? Doesn't matter because he's dead. Will Luke return to the fight and be a hero? No, he's turning his back on the force. I respect Rian Johnson's creativity to make something different, but unfortunately it backfired and went too far in many places. As a res...

In 1997, twenty years after the release of the original Star Wars, th e film was brought back to theaters. This time, it was repackaged with some brand new visual effects. A trailer, shown before films like Space Jam and Independence Day, debuted and introduced a new generation of fans to Star Wars... What fans young and old didn't know at the time, was that from then on, the only release available to them would be the Special Editions. What were the changes? Well there are too many to name here, and too many to put into one video. Most notably in the cantina, Han Solo is approached by Greedo, an associate of Han's who works for Jabba the Hutt. Greedo threatens to take Han Solo to Jabba dead if necessary, and Han shoots Greedo first. As a character moment, it shows Han's "shoot first, ask questions later" personality. It showed that he is not someone to take lightly and could be dangerous to our protagonists. In the 2004 DVD, Lucas changed the scene...

Initial Release: October 16, 2018 Director: Peter Jackson Produced By: Clare Olssen, Peter Jackson Box Office: $19.9 Million World War 1 doesn't get much attention in the media, due to it being a war with no real clear objective. But thanks to Academy Award winning director Peter Jackson, this film serves as a memorial to the men who fought and died doing their duty. Barring a slow start, the film packs an emotional punch when you can hear and see what the soldiers did. With state-of-the-art technology, Jackson and his production studio bring the war to life like we've never seen it before.   There have been countless documentaries about World War 1. From first hand accounts to the military strategy. All of them are incredibly informative, but none come close to capturing the humanity of the real soldiers that fought and died. Every one of these other films always used the same black and white footage, or reenactments. The massive undertaking that Jacks...

Release Date: November 27, 2019 (USA) Director: Rian Johnson Writer: Rian Johnson Budget: $40 million Knives out takes the classic whodunit genre to a new era with a star studded cast, wit, creative editing, and some truly surprising twists.  Knives Out stars Ana de Armas (Blade Runner 2049) as Marta, the nurse and caretaker for millionaire Harlan Thrombey (Christopher Plummer). When Thrombey passes away due to mysterious circumstances, the entire family, along with Marta, are questioned by a private detective (Daniel Craig) to find out if Thrombey’s death really was what it seems. There aren’t many things I can really say in this review without giving away too much of the surprise. But what I can tell you is how not one minute of Knives Out ever left me bored. The editing is done with great precision, with no detail left out. This allows us to learn a lot about the characters in a short amount of time. Daniel Craig is a standout as the private de...

Release Date:  November 22, 2019 (USA) Director: Marielle Heller  Based on: Can You Say...Hero?; by Tom Junod Screenplay: Noah Harpster, Micah Fitzerman-Blue Budget: $25 Million In a world filled with hate, bigotry, violence, and greed, all we need is a friendly neighbor to remind us about kindness, forgiveness, and most importantly, to listen. It's a film that's less about the man himself, and more about those he helps, which was often the message of his show. "Sometimes we have to ask for help, and that's okay." Fred Rodgers. Cynical  Esquire magazine writer Lloyd Vogel (Matthew Rhys, The Post) is given the task to write a four hundred word "puff piece" about children's entertainer Fred Rodgers (Tom Hanks). Lloyd then reluctantly travels to Pittsburgh to expose the "real" Mr. Rodgers. What transpires is a tale inspired by a true story of one broken man's journey to forgiveness.  A Beautiful Day in ...