It’s been a long time coming, for a few different reasons both in and outside of Marvel Studios’ control, but a stand-alone ‘Black Widow’ film finally arrived in theaters. While the movie doesn’t absolutely break the MCU formula, it definitely challenges it in interesting, and quite frankly, darker ways. Scarlett Johansson gets her solo due… Continue reading ‘Black Widow’ – Marvel’s Closest Bond Analog Yet?
Reviews for each installment in this series of films almost always start out with some iteration of, “check your brain at the door”, “suspend your disbelief”, etc. This certainly applies to the most recent entry originally dubbed simply ‘F9’, that has now inexplicably acquired a ‘The Fast Saga’ qualifier, despite the fact that none previous… Continue reading ‘F9: The Fast Saga’ – Where Can’t This Franchise Go?
A lot has happened since 2017’s disastrous release of ‘Justice League’, DC/WB’s attempt to keep up with the Joneses of Marvel/Disney. Much ink has been spilled on the tale of Zach Snyder’s step down helming JL due a family tragedy, the non-handoff to a now blacklisted Joss Whedon for fostering a toxic work environment during… Continue reading “Zach Snyder’s Justice League” – An Epic Ramble or Justice for DC?
It’s like playing a broken Disney record, but Pixar has done it again. Their latest wonderful release, ‘Soul’, which went straight to Disney+ on Christmas Day after the pandemic caused a delay from June, is an existential exploration of the human spark, filled with laughs and emotion. The movie is a creative blend of a… Continue reading ‘Soul’ – Is Pixar Even Pretending It’s Making Movies For Kids Anymore?
It pains to say, but the follow up to 2017’s spectacular ‘Wonder Woman’ is an abject colossal failure. It’s truly hard to understand what went wrong, but very little works in the sequel, subtitled ‘1984’. At first the promise of a basically immortal protagonist having clandestine adventures in various eras seemed promising. Director Patty Jenkins… Continue reading ‘Wonder Woman 1984’ – An Indecipherable Absolute and Total Failure?
It’s hard to fathom that an over 40-year-old franchise could still have the capacity to surprise, but somehow Disney and the creators behind ‘The Mandalorian’ were able to do it for eight straight weeks in 2020. Maybe it’s the unfathomable year that was, which resulted in an audience primed for the wonder and spectacle provided… Continue reading ‘The Mandalorian’ Season 2 – A Christmas Miracle for the Star Wars Franchise?
David Fincher may have found a permanent home at Netflix, which has to this point indulged his whims on projects that many studios may have passed on. None more so than his latest feature film, ‘Mank’, a beautifully crafted exploration of old Hollywood that not only attempts to recreate the experience of watching a film… Continue reading ‘Mank’ – A Brilliant Film that’s Impenetrable Without Context?
It’s not often that the most popular item in the zeitgeist is also the best of its kind. ‘The Queen’s Gambit’, a seven episode limited series on Netflix, ushered under the singular, meticulous vision of writer/director Scott Frank, featuring an iconic, star-making performance from up-and-coming actress Anya Taylor-Joy, is one such example. Seemingly coming out… Continue reading ‘The Queen’s Gambit’ – A Checkmate For 2020 Limited Series’?
Powerhouse director Christopher Nolan (‘Dark Knight Trilogy’, ‘Inception’, ‘Dunkirk’) is on record saying that he’s always wanted to make a James Bond film. Perhaps the only thing blocking this from happening is the appearance that he is beheld to Warner Bros. for financing his unique visions after delivering them the massive success of each film… Continue reading ‘Tenet’ – Christopher Nolan’s Time-Bending Bond Bid?
STOP! DO NOT READ WITHOUT SEEING FIRST – THIS MOVIE IS BEST VIEWED WITHOUT EVEN KNOWING THE PREMISE Sometimes it’s best to just allow a film to wash over you and let it take you down its path. In the case of the Andy Samberg / Cristin Milioti starring ‘Palm Springs’, streaming directly onto Hulu,… Continue reading ‘Palm Springs’ – A Mas-Quar-Piece For These Times?
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