Film reviews and more since 2009

Monster review (2021)

Dir. Anthony Mandler

Steve Harrison (left, Kevin Harrison Jr.) is incarcerated for his alleged involvement in a robbery in Monster.

By: Steve Pulaski

Rating: ★★

“In the light, during the day, it felt like a movie. This is that movie. My story, written, directed, and starring Steve Harmon,” says 17-year-old Steve Harmon (Kevin Harrison Jr.) in Monster. Based on the popular Walter Dean Myers’ novel — a ubiquitous fixture in every American library in the early aughts — the film premiered at Sundance all the way back in 2018. It struggled to find a home before seeing an unceremonious release on Netflix three years later. I’d say Anthony Mandler’s film deserved better to some extent, but the real victim is Myers, who died in 2014. Not only did he not get to see his story adapted to the big screen, his material too deserved better than the flat, clinical movie that transpired.

Read the full review on Influx Magazine!

“Monster” (2021) Review

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About Steve Pulaski

Steve Pulaski has been reviewing movies since 2009 for a barrage of different outlets. He graduated North Central College in 2018 and currently works as an on-air radio personality. He also hosts a weekly movie podcast called "Sleepless with Steve," dedicated to film and the film industry, on his YouTube channel. In addition to writing, he's a die-hard Chicago Bears fan and has two cats, appropriately named Siskel and Ebert!

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