Review: ‘The Beekeeper’: Sweet as Honey

I put off writing about The Beekeeper for a while, mainly because I had a lot going on when I first saw it, but also because I wasn’t sure what I could say about it. Its tense, cleanly shot action had already received much praise; some thought the film’s story was too dumb, others rightly responded, “What’s wrong with that?” This is a film about a beekeeper who’s an ex-agent of a group called The Beekeepers, where characters make various and probably unnecessary comparisons and allusions to bees throughout. If you can’t get on board with that, then this isn’t for you.

Continue reading “Review: ‘The Beekeeper’: Sweet as Honey”

Review: ‘Five Nights at Freddy’s’ is Faithful to an Entertaining Fault

From its initial release in 2014, Five Nights at Freddy’s became an overnight phenomenon. The horror video game series has remained relevant within popular culture thanks to recognizable mascots and cryptic storytelling that oozes intrigue. Despite the franchise’s campy yet frightening premise of surviving security shifts against haunted mascot animatronics, it contains a behemoth of a story spanning multiple games, spin offs, and novels. After a tumultuous eight long years of development, that list grows to include a film adaptation by director Emma Tammi. A big concern for adapting video games into movies is whether the story can stand on its own, while being faithful to the source material. In that regard, Five Nights at Freddy’s excels. The film translates the gameplay of being hunted by animal mascots well with silly, but exciting chases. More importantly the film lives up to its convoluted and incomprehensible source material by telling a charmingly abysmal story.

Continue reading “Review: ‘Five Nights at Freddy’s’ is Faithful to an Entertaining Fault”