Movie reviews of Sandy Schaefer

Thrives as a crowd-pleasing sports story with charm to spare, even as it sugarcoats the real-life events that inspired it.

Successfully turns King’s source material into a disturbing exercise in cinematic horror and suspense.

A preposterous, but lean and mean Mitch Rapp thriller adaptation...

As a coming of age parable, IT succeeds at being both horrifying and emotionally-resonant...

Good Time‘s inspired style, coupled with Pattinson’s compelling performance, are enough to carry the film past its narrative shortcomings.

A decent, if flawed, directorial effort from Sheridan that showcases his strength as an actors’ director, more than as a writer.

Makes for a disturbing and unnerving portrayal of real historical events, but has less success as a work of sociopolitical commentary.

Lacks heart, wit and sense of craftsmanship...

Makes for Christopher Nolan’s most intense and nerve-wracking thriller yet, delivering a strikingly terse viewing experience in the process.

Rich in emotional honesty and equal parts funny/moving...

Offers enough in the way of zany, irreverent entertainment (with a dose of heart) to please steadfast fans of the franchise.

Works as both a (very) funny high school comedy/drama and strong standalone superhero movie set in the MCU.

Delivers a great blend of artful cinematic storytelling and popcorn entertainment value...

Has a deeper mythos and bigger spectacle than its predecessors, yet still ends up being mostly hollow and cacophonous.

Awkwardly mashes together compelling individual elements, giving rise to a jarring and otherwise confounding viewing experience.

Offers more heartfelt storytelling and rich animation than its predecessor, yet falls short of raising the bar...

Delivers a King Arthur re-telling that stands on its own and is surprisingly unique...

Plays it safe by mashing together the best elements of previous Alien films, delivering a solid sci-fi horror/thriller in the process.

Provides all the non-stop comedy and zany cosmic action that audiences expect from the Guardians film franchise...

A handsome and ambitious historical epic, if also one that’s more intellectually engaging than emotionally compelling.

Delivers enough in the way of enjoyable character interactions and delightfully silly action to make for a solid addition to the series...

Standard, kid-friendly entertainment, but it succeeds at bringing the colorful Smurfs universe to playfully-animated life.

Struggles to dig below the surface of its thought-provoking concepts and bring real depth to its striking visuals.

Amounts to a middling (and derivative) sci-fi horror/thriller that never fully realizes its potential.