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?
Unfortunately, the answer to this question is a muted ‘no’. . . In February of 2016, the first ‘Deadpool’ movie was released and turned the superhero franchise game on its head. Shepherded over multiple years, in fits and starts, by star Ryan Reynolds and screenwriters Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick, the film was a… Continue reading ‘Deadpool 2’ – Can Lightning Strike Twice for Ryan Reynolds?
