At this point the DC comic book universe seems to be taking the approach of throwing everything against the wall and seeing if anything sticks. ‘Shazam!’ is their idea of quirky fun, a tone that to this point has been foreign territory for the studio. It’s an unapologetic superhero version of ‘Big’, that succeeds when… Continue reading ‘Shazam!’ – The Softer Side of DC?
Could expectations be any higher for writer/director Jordan Peele’s follow-up to his social satire/horror/thriller, ‘Get Out’? His new film ‘Us’ is also firmly planted in the genre, and similarly contains overarching allegories for the country we live in, notably income disparity (it’s by design that the title has a ‘U’ and an ‘S’). It’s very… Continue reading ‘Us’ – Is This America?
‘Captain Marvel’ has been a long time coming. As the first female-led superhero movie set in the MCU and possible deus ex machina for Thanos’ apparent victory in ‘Avengers: Infinity War’, it also carries a lot on its shoulders. These expectations are perhaps a bit too much for what is ostensibly a prequel of the… Continue reading ‘Captain Marvel’ – Marvel’s Powerhouse Suffers a Bit of Prequel-itis?
‘Fighting With My Family’ is a movie based on true events surrounding the discovery of WWE (that’s World Wresting Entertainment for the uninitiated) wrestler Paige. She was the first to hail from across the pond in England, but what is most notable about her backstory is that she came from a whole family of amateur… Continue reading ‘Fighting With My Family’ – An Oft-Told Tale Done Right?
A science fiction movie about an alien invasion titled, ‘Annihilation’, conjures up thoughts of a Michael Bay action extravaganza, not a heady, deliberate think-piece with lofty ambition and moments of abject terror, but that’s exactly what Alex Garland’s film is. This is the follow-up to his heady, deliberate sci-fi thought provoker, ‘Ex Machina’, although this… Continue reading ‘Annihilation’ – A Meditative, Disturbing, Sci-Fi Wonder?
‘Vice’ is satire of the highest order, and like any good satire is equal parts hilarious, disturbing, and ultimately, sobering. Buoyed by incredible performances, writer/director Adam McKay skewers a U.S. power structure defined by a GOP long con perpetrated on the American people, symbolized in the figure of one man, former Vice President and public… Continue reading ‘Vice’ – Is Adam McKay the Satirist of our Time?
Writer/Director M. Night Shyamalan has had one of the most maddening careers of any auteur in recent history. His meteoric rise and subsequent fall out of favor has been well documented, coupled with profiles that have painted him as a narcissistic Hitchcock/Spielberg wannabe, but with 2016’s hit (and sly ‘Unbreakable’ sequel), ‘Split’, it had appeared his back… Continue reading ‘Glass’ – An Interesting, yet Confounding, Critique of Comic Book Culture?
As a character, Spider-Man has been around for a long time and has had multiple iterations on the page. His alter ego Peter Parker has gone through the trials of high school and college, gotten married, had his marriage erased by the devil, died, come back to life, become a billionaire, but always seems… Continue reading ‘Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse’ – A Comic Book Character Evolves?
This Thanksgiving, everyone is back for ‘Creed II” except for wunderkind writer/director Ryan Coogler. While it would be absurd to say that his skills aren’t missed, luckily he was able to set up a sturdy enough foundation with the characters and the talented actors who play them to help this sequel succeed. Sylvester Stallone may have been… Continue reading ‘Creed II’ – A Sequel to ‘Creed’, ‘Rocky’, or Both?
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?
