zac efron – ALLIANCE OF WOMEN FILM JOURNALISTS

THE STUDIO – Review by Susan Granger

May 17, 2025 Susan Granger Anthony Mackie, bryan cranston, catherine ohara, charlize theron, Chase Sui Wonders, dave franco, Greta Lee, Ice Cube, Kathryn Hahn, martin scorsese, olivia wilde, ron howard, Sarah Polley, Seth Rogen, steve buscemi, The Studio, zac efron, Zoe Kravitz

Ever wanted to sneak behind-closed-doors and see what propels the Hollywood Dream Machine? That’s what happens in the cameo-cluttered, 10-episode satire The Studio, skewering the perennial Art-vs-Commerce dilemma. When delusional dreamer Matt Remick (co-creator Seth Rogen) becomes the head of Continental Studios , he’s told by CEO Griffin Mill (Bryan Cranston) that his job is to make IP-driven movies that will succeed at the box-office, not “artsy-fartsy films.” Problem is: pretentious cinephile Matt thinks he can do both

Reviews

A FAMILY AFFAIR – Review by Susan Granger

July 5, 2024 Susan Granger A Family Affair, Carrie Solomon, joey king, kathy bates, Lisa Koshy, netflix, nicole kidman, Richard La Gravensese, zac efron

A Family Affair is a Hallmark movie – only it’s on Netflix. Shallowly concocted by debuting screenwriter Carrie Solomon, it’s clumsily directed by Richard La Gravensese, who desperately tries to breathe life into a mundane romantic fantasy that’s filled with beautiful, privileged people wearing stunning ‘designer’ clothes, cavorting on lavish sets.

Reviews

A FAMILY AFFAIR – Review by Nadine Whitney

July 1, 2024July 1, 2024 Nadine Whitney A Family Affair, Carrie Solomon, joey king, netflix, nicole kidman, Richard LaGravenese, zac efron

Director Richard LaGravenese and screenwriter Carrie Solomon set up an unwinnable challenge, at least for the audience, in their new film A Family Affair. A competition between who is the least compelling character in a film littered with characters who are not in the least compelling. Zac Efron plays a ridiculous man child actor who is utterly disconnected from everyone and the real world. He treats his assistant Zara as you’d imagine him to, that is not well, but mostly it’s kiddy tantrums.

Reviews

THE IRON CLAW – Review by Pam Grady

December 22, 2023December 24, 2023 Pam Grady Championship Wrestling, Fritz Von Erich, Holt McCallany, jeremy allen white, Lily James, Maura Tierney, sean durkin, Stanley Simons, The Iron Claw, zac efron

As a title, The Iron Claw is both literal and a metaphor. It is the signature move of wrestler Fritz Von Erich when he is about to decimate an opponent in the ring. It also symbolizes the tight grip he holds on the sons who have no real choice except to follow him as the next generation of battling Von Erichs. Writer/director Sean Durkin’s first film since 2020’s The Nest is all at once a sports drama, a family’s biopic, and one of the best depictions of the effects of toxic masculinity ever committed to the screen and a haunting evocation of family dysfunction.

Reviews

THE GREATEST BEER RUN EVER – Review by Martha K Baker

October 3, 2022October 4, 2022 Martha K. Baker (Archived Contributor) Bill Murray, John “Chick” Donahue, Peter Farrelly, russell crowe, The Greatest Beer Run Ever, zac efron

The Greatest Beer Run Ever could have been just another bromance or a boy-farce, like The Hangover. It is more than either sub-genre, much more — maybe because it’s based on a real story, as farcical as that is. The film is well realized. John Donohue, called “Chick,” made his beer run to Vietnam in 1967. He had been in the military earlier, stationed in his home state of Massachusetts.

Reviews

THE GREATEST BEER RUN EVER – Review by T.J. Callahan

September 28, 2022September 28, 2022 T. J. Callahan Bill Murray, John “Chick” Donahue, Peter Farrelly, russell crowe, The Greatest Beer Run Ever, zac efron

It’s 1967, the Vietnam War is raging and so are opinions on America’s participation in the fight. Zac Efron is John “Chickie” Donahue. A guy in flux who needs to do something that makes a difference. He decides to give his buddies in combat a taste of home, but he ends up getting a big gulp of the battle instead.

Reviews

THE GREATEST BEER RUN EVER – Review by Susan Granger

September 13, 2022September 17, 2022 Susan Granger Bill Murray, John “Chick” Donahue, Peter Farrelly, russell crowe, The Greatest Beer Run Ever, zac efron

While America’s involvement in the Vietnam War remains controversial, films like The Deer Hunter, Apocalypse Now and Ken Burns’ documentary, have reflected on the conflict’s psychological aspects. So The Greatest Beer Run Ever is a refreshingly entertaining comedic drama, focusing on a crowd-pleasing, behind-the-scenes glimpse of a globe-spanning beer run.

Reviews

FIRESTARTER – Review by Susan Kamyab

May 12, 2022January 23, 2023 Susan Kamyab Firestarter, Keith Thomas, Ryan Keira Armstrong, stephen king, zac efron

This 2022 of version Firestarter is just another flop to add to the list of Stephen King adaptations. For those who haven’t seen the original 1984 film, the story follows a young couple and their 11-year-old daughter. Charlie. Due to past lab experiments, the three of them have telekinetic powers. Charlie’s parents have learned to control theirs, but she is unable to contain her sudden burst of flames triggered by anger. But that’s the least of this family’s problems, as a mysterious federal agent is on the hunt to take Charlie away from her parents. From begin to end the film never ignites a big enough flame.

Reviews

GOLD – Review by T.J. Callahan

March 12, 2022March 13, 2022 T. J. Callahan anthony hayes, australian films, gold, zac efron

Gold is NOT about that high priced, highly valued commodity we know as gasoline. It is about a giant, shiny nugget that’s hidden in the sand of a near future dystopian desert and about what that nugget does to the two men who find it. Zac Efron stars as one of those men who lets the potential for a fortune get the best (or worst) of him.