Marked as writer/director Quentin Tarantino’s 9th film, ‘Once Upon A Time In . . . Hollywood,’ powerfully sneaks up on an audience primed by some of his past films to expect bombast and energy. A filmmaker so obviously deeply in love with cinema, who has flexed his vast knowledge and ear for dialogue in the… Continue reading ‘Once Upon A Time In . . . Hollywood’ – A Sentimental Tarantino Delivers a Nostalgic Tour-De-Force?

Ari Aster makes films that fuck you up. After only two films, ‘Hereditary’ and now ‘Midsommar’, he has proven to be an auteur of abject terror, writing and directing pieces of art that work on multiple levels to deeply unsettle. If ‘Hereditary’ showed audiences the potential for a film to worm its way into the… Continue reading ‘Midsommar’ – A Deeply Unsettling, Sun-Bleached, & Somehow Beautiful Nightmare?

The above question is a very valid one after the wistful, emotional conclusion to Pixar’s original (and rightfully beloved) ‘Toy Story’ trilogy. ‘Toy Story 3′ was a masterful capper to a franchise that basically unfolded in real time, tackling heady themes of relevance and aging, under the auspices of a hilarious and ingenious prison break… Continue reading ‘Toy Story 4’ – Was This Sequel Necessary?

Time will be kind to ‘Game of Thrones’. If its fans and detractors can take a step back, be truly objective, the eighth and final season of the show will be viewed for what it was – an unevenly paced, visually stunning, logic defying, character driven completion of the most ambitious feat in television history.… Continue reading ‘Game of Thrones’ – The Final Season: Could Any Ending Truly Satisfy?

Run . . . as fast as possible . . . to a theater to see ‘John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum’. Seriously, even without seeing the previous two installments of this absolutely miraculous action franchise (although one absolutely should), the feats of balletic action choreography need to be experienced in a dark theater with… Continue reading ‘John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum’ – Holy Mutha#$!!ing $#!t?!