“The Grinch” was released by Illumination Animation, the same studio that made the “Despicable Me” franchise. (Photo courtesy of Universal Pictures) Owen Johnson Connector Editor It is time for Hollywood to understand that the stories of Dr. Seuss only work as 20 page children’s books, and not in feature length form. As Christmas time approaches…
‘Ralph Breaks the Internet’ and the franchise
Imagine Dragons performed the lead single “Zero” for the soundtrack. (Photo courtesy of Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures) Owen Johnson Connector Editor “Ralph Breaks the Internet” is less “Wreck-it Ralph,” and more “The Emoji Movie.” In other words, yikes. After Ralph’s (John C. Reilly) hijinks in the Sugar Rush arcade game cause the game’s steering wheel…
“Bohemian Rhapsody” is not killer Queen
Rolling Stone magazine noted multiple historical inaccuracies in the film. (Photo courtesy of 20th Century Fox) Owen Johnson Connector Editor For a personality as idiosyncratic as Freddie Mercury and a band as revolutionary as Queen, their biopic is incredibly lackluster and surprisingly uninspired. From the early days when he first met his band mates to Queen’s…
One-hundredth article extravaganza: ’21 Jump Street’
“21 Jump Street” was the sixth most illegally downloaded film of 2012. (Photo courtesy of Columbia Pictures) Owen Johnson Connector Editor With this article, I reached the milestone of having 100 articles, mostly movie reviews, published with the UMass Lowell Connector. Over the past three years of me doing this, I know I have garnered…
‘Haunted:’ weak for ghost shows and for Netflix
“Haunted” is the second Netflix original with producer Howard Owens attached to it. (Photo courtesy of Netflix) Owen Johnson Connector Editor Netflix has been sinking its teeth into every genre out there to create their own original content. With “The Haunted,” the streaming service has now reached the true-story paranormal documentary series genre, and it…
Underrated Classics: ‘The Staircase’ is an amazing journey
“The Staircase” editor Sophie Brunet had a 15-year relationship with Michael Peterson, which lasted from 2002 until 2017. (Photo courtesy of Canal+ and Netflix) Owen Johnson Connector Editor In the past few years, Netflix has been bringing the genre of true crime documentaries such as “Making a Murderer” and “The Keepers” to the forefront of…
“First Man” is only second rate
“First Man” has made $60 million at the box office. (Photo courtesy of Universal Pictures) Owen Johnson Connector Editor What is needed to make a great historical drama is either an interesting figure or a fascinating event to focus on. Neil Armstrong is that figure and the space race to the moon is that event,…
Watching ‘Big Mouth’ is a big mistake
(Photo courtesy of Netflix) Owen Johnson Connector Editor The lesson anyone who watches the show should derive from “Big Mouth” is to not judge a book by its cover. While it may be a Netflix original series and have a number of prominent comedic actors attached to it, it is a disastrous farce of a…
