Articles by Paul Hall

Storytelling is essential to every film. For director Quentin Tarantino, storytelling goes far beyond words on a page, and that is on display in the film Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood. Tarantino has garnered a reputation in Hollywood for creating original content amid a flurry of sequels and reboots. And in his original content, there is definitely a very distinct look, feel and sound as Tarantino harkens back to filmmaking of old. In Once Upon a Time, Tarantino goes back to 1969. Rick Dalton (Leonardo DiCaprio) is an actor known for his roles as a bad guy. Dalton […]

When the markets were booming, business was good for everyone involved with Wall Street. The good times even trickled down to the clubs where dancers were able to live the high life. But the money machine eventually stopped, and what was simply business veered into something else, as shown in the film Hustlers. Destiny (Constance Wu), searching for a way to pay the bills, quickly lands a job as a dancer. As the new girl, she finds herself treading water in the every-woman-for-herself field as every male club employee takes a share of her nightly earnings. Destiny is quickly drawn […]

Life has progressed for the members of the Losers Club. It has been 27 years since they battled Pennywise in the small town of Derry. Things are happening around the town yet again, and a return home is in store in the film IT Chapter Two. The Losers Club has grown up and most have left their Derry hometown but Mike (Isaiah Mustafa) has not, and as he sees disturbing events unfolding around him, he gets in contact with the group and almost all of them start a pilgrimage back to a place they have tried to forget. Mike recalls […]

The United States Secret Service has been a longstanding beacon of protection for our president, among others. But what happens when one of the smartest agents responsible for guarding the commander in chief turns against him? First it was the White House in 2013’s Olympus Has Fallen. In 2016, it was London’s turn in London Has Fallen. Now, in 2019, experience what happens next in the film Angel Has Fallen. Three distinct action films, one common thread — Secret Service agent Mike Banning (Gerard Butler). In Angel Has Fallen, Banning plays a trusted confidant of President Allan Trumbull (Morgan Freeman). […]

We’ve all lost someone, and most of us have begged for the chance to change the result. In the film Don’t Let Go, one man gets that opportunity. Detective Jack Radcliff (David Oyelowo) gets a shocking call from his niece Ashley (Storm Reid). It’s shocking not because she’s calling — Ashley often called her Uncle Jack to discuss much of life, since her father had been involved with the wrong crowd. The relationship built between Jack and Ashley over the years had been a foundational constant in each of their lives. Uncle Jack saved his niece from anything he could […]

After spending most of her life exploring the jungle with her parents Cole (Michael Peña) and Elena (Eva Longoria), Dora (Isabela Moner) has grown up. But the next exploration Dora’s parents take will be without her, as she is sent to Los Angeles to be with her cousin Diego (Jeff Wahlberg) in the film Dora and the Lost City of Gold. High school can be as treacherous as any jungle and Dora is just trying to “be herself” as her parents told her, but that kind of positivity is foreign to the teens creating a different atmosphere for our young […]

Growing up can be difficult. New terms, new friends and new experiences are around every corner. In the new film Good Boys, the major transition for the beanbag boys, as they call themselves, is from fifth grade to sixth grade and all of the “adult” things that will change life as they know it. Max (Jacob Tremblay), Lucas (Keith L. Williams) and Thor (Brady Noon) are trying to fit in. When Max is invited to his first kissing party, he of course wants to go with his best friends. But there is one problem for the trio: No one knows […]

The Fast & Furious franchise has a ninth installment due in 2020, but it is so profitable that we now have a spinoff featuring two of the characters who arrived in the middle of the franchise. Hobbs & Shaw brings all of the action, comedy and outright fun to life away from the series’ arc. Luke Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson) and Deckard Shaw (Jason Statham) have never liked each other. Hobbs has spent his life in law enforcement tracking down bad people — including Shaw — and putting them in prison. Shaw is an incredibly successful criminal. Hobbs and Shaw are […]

Remaking a classic poses extreme risks. Viewers will ultimately compare the current vision to the original offering, and it will lead to some positive as well as negative results. With Disney remaking the classic 1994 animated offering of The Lion King, the risks are great, but the rewards include opening the story for a new generation of viewers and bringing in a whole big bucket of cash. The plot stays true to the original. Mufasa (voice of James Earl Jones) stands as the leader with young Simba set to one day inherit his father’s kingdom. But trouble is brewing as […]

Ridesharing is an easy way to get around town when you can’t or don’t want to drive. I’ve used it on a number of trips, and I always find myself in the back seat of a new and interesting driver’s vehicle in a variety of cities. But I’ve also heard the stories — the stories of the rides that aren’t as basic as mine. And when you take a cop looking to catch a bad guy and put him in the car of a driver desperate for a good rating, you get the film Stuber. Stu (Kumail Nanjiani) is an […]