Movie Reviews

‘mid90s’ – Is Jonah Hill’s Ode to Youth Provocative, Profound, or Somewhere in Between?

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  Seemingly out of nowhere, a little movie about a kid coming of age in the ‘mid90s’ southern California skater subculture previewed, evoking a nostalgia for all those of a certain age who could relate to its smattering of hip-hop and punk/grunge samples, as well as its low-key vibe.  Then at the end of the preview, the… Continue reading ‘mid90s’ – Is Jonah Hill’s Ode to Youth Provocative, Profound, or Somewhere in Between?

Movie Reviews

‘Halloween’ – The Best Slasher Sequel in a Long Time, Possibly Ever?

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  In hindsight, launching a definitive sequel to 1978’s classic John Carpenter horror film, ‘Halloween’, as it celebrates its 40th(?!) anniversary, is a no-brainer.  What isn’t is uber-horror-producer Jason Blum’s ability to get notoriously cantankerous Carpenter’s blessing, match the IP with unlikely filmmakers David Gordon Green and Danny McBride, disavow decades of sequels and re-imaginings,… Continue reading ‘Halloween’ – The Best Slasher Sequel in a Long Time, Possibly Ever?

Movie Reviews

‘A Star Is Born’ – Can an Oft-Told Tale Still Work Today?

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  ‘A Star Is Born’ should not work as well as it does.  Ostensibly a vanity project shepherded by Bradley Cooper, who stars, directs, and co-writes, with a feature turn by Lady Gaga (billed as such), this is the 4th(?!) time a movie has born this title and story arc.  Audiences have seen this a… Continue reading ‘A Star Is Born’ – Can an Oft-Told Tale Still Work Today?

Movie Reviews

‘First Man’ – A Case for the Dearth of Armstrong Biopics?

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  Watching ‘First Man’ on an IMAX screen, director Damien Chazelle and Ryan Gosling’s follow-up to ‘La La Land’, it’s striking that such a bombastic event as the first steps on the moon could be presented in such a subdued, melancholic, yet visceral way.  Yet it completely makes sense to make this film now, at a time when it… Continue reading ‘First Man’ – A Case for the Dearth of Armstrong Biopics?

Movie Reviews

‘The Predator’ – Is it Possible to Enjoy a Really Bad Movie?

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  Shane Black’s ‘The Predator’ is not a good movie.  It struggles with such basic film notions as tone, character development, structure, editing, pace, and sense.  Although it really does not work on any level, despite all of its faults, the movie remains entertaining throughout.  The reason why is because of the name at the top of this… Continue reading ‘The Predator’ – Is it Possible to Enjoy a Really Bad Movie?

Movie Reviews

‘Mile 22’ – What’s Your Macho Nonsense Mileage?

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The latest Peter Berg / Mark Wahlberg collaboration ‘Mile 22’ is not only a nonsensical, poorly framed action movie, it’s straight up bad on just about every level beyond the purely physical parts of ‘The Raid’ movies’ star Iko Uwais’ performance.  Maybe it’s the fact that the latest masterful ‘Mission: Impossible’ is so fresh in mind.  Maybe it’s the… Continue reading ‘Mile 22’ – What’s Your Macho Nonsense Mileage?

Movie Reviews

‘Mission: Impossible – Fallout’ – Still Cruising After all this Time?

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  At this point in the ‘Mission: Impossible’ franchise, has the movie-going public finally realized that it has taken star Tom Cruise, and his alter ego Ethan Hunt, for granted after all these years?  Public opinion has now shifted from ‘wow, that crazy, couch-jumping Tom Cruise is a middle-aged show-off’ to ‘wow, this 56-year-old (?!!) star… Continue reading ‘Mission: Impossible – Fallout’ – Still Cruising After all this Time?