‘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?
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?
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?
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?
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?
Capitalism. Greed. Race. Art. Gender. Friendship. Unionization. Socialism. Social Media. Viral Fame. Ethics. Boots Riley’s ambitious satire, “Sorry To Bother You,’ isn’t afraid to tackle it all. The film is an absurdist take on the trappings of wealth and power in America, the promise of which can be a cancer, counter to the moral drive for human connection and honest interaction. … Continue reading ‘Sorry To Bother You’ – An Essential Trip Worth Taking?
Documentaries that feature a viable subject matter and present it with care have the power to truly transcend. Morgan Neville’s ‘Won’t You Be My Neighbor?’, a film marking the impetus and long, celebrated run of ordained minister Fred Rogers’ landmark PBS television program, “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood” is one such documentary. The movie not only… Continue reading ‘Won’t You Be My Neighbor?’ – The Documentary Everyone Could Use More Of?
Brad Bird, writer/director of the original 2004 Pixar classic, ‘The Incredibles’, has returned to his creation, picking up directly after the events of the first film, furthering the trials and tribulations of a family of superheroes. As with many sequels, ‘Incredibles 2′ is bigger, funnier, more action-packed, and more detailed in its animation technology, but in some… Continue reading ‘Incredibles 2’ – 14 Years in the Making – Worth It?
What constitutes a great horror film? What is it about the genre that has been drawing audiences since the beginnings of celluloid storytelling? These questions are at the forefront after experiencing the abject terror of a movie like ‘Hereditary’, because it expertly utilizes well established tropes as well as challenges the viewer as to… Continue reading ‘Hereditary’ – Family Drama Gone Insane?
‘Solo’ is only the second ‘story’ film set within the Star Wars Universe, but it comes to audiences with so much baggage it begs the question of whether or not Disney/Lucasfilm can sustain its grand plans for the franchise. As understood by the industry and fans, the idea behind these ‘Star Wars Stories’ was to… Continue reading ‘Solo: A Star Wars Story’ – Competent Prequel Doomed to Underwelm?
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