Aquaman

So, that was interesting. They really decided to go all out with DC’s lamest superhero, didn’t they? It was visually arresting in moments, like the introduction of Atlantis and going into the trench, and did have its moments of fun. But it was also a wet mess. First lets get the dialogue out of the […]

A Star is Born

If this was the 90s, A Star is Born would be winning the Oscar on Sunday. It is both very popular among the masses and dedicated moviegoers alike, and is highly respected critically. It is very well-made and has a lot of emotional weight to it. A couple of decades ago, this would be a […]

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-verse

This seems like an odd choice as a theatrical release at this time. Live action Marvel superhero films are more popular than ever, while DC dominates the at-home animated superhero market, but all of the sudden we get a full studio theatrical release of Spider-man. I And not only that, but one which includes multiple […]

Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald

I have wondered what Harry Potter movies must be like for those who are uninitiated into the world, either through the previous films or through the books. After seeing this film, I now think I have some idea. Yes, I saw the first Fantastic Beasts film, but it didn’t exactly draw my attention or encourage […]

First Man

Almost great. Pretty close. There is some really great stuff in First Man. First off, there are the flight scenes, which really aim to put you in the driver’s seat, so to speak. Chazelle does this by lots of first person views and pulling the camera in tight. it really gives you a sense of […]

Halloween 2018

This movie turned out to be quite a worthy sequel to its predecessor (despite the choice to give it the SAME EXACT TITLE!). It really played on the idea of Michael as this soulless human being, and shows Laurie going all Sarah Conner on us. The idea of Michael as an old man is intriguing, […]

Bad Times at the El Royale

This had potential, but it was ultimately squandered.  This reminded me of that period in the late 90s when there were a whole bunch of Tarantino wanna-be films coming out.  El Royale is absolutely a Tarantino mimic, though lacking in both clever dialogue and frenetic energy.  At first I found it intriguing, as a cast […]

Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom

Soooo… we’ve come a long way from a small band of characters vising an island of dinosaurs and a hiccup in the power. Now we’ve got a volcano threatening to destroy Dino Island, a group of black market mercenaries capturing these creatures, and genetic villainy creating monsters that resemble dinosaurs but are far more menacingly […]

Mission Impossible: Fallout

M:I 6 has turned out to be one of the best action movies in recent memory. Its the culmination of all that came before it: the intriguing plots, the spy gadgetry, and of course Tom Cruise’s insistence in putting himself in preposterous stunt situations. And its all fantastic. Remember Howard Hawks’ famous quote that a good […]

Incredibles 2

The Incredibles finally have their sequel, and it feels like the characters have all fallen right back into step even after 14 years. Which is good, because the movie starts off right after the events of the last movie, where the family battles the Underminer. They really play up the family dynamic again in this […]

Solo

I’ll be up front and state that I was against the idea of a Han Solo prequel movie. It just seems weird having someone not Harrison Ford play Han at roughly the same age he was in the first movie. It seemed exploitative to me in some way. That being said, I have to admit […]

Avengers: Infinity War

The culmination of the last ten years of Marvel movies, the moment that all these interconnected stories have been building up to, satisfyingly delivers.  This is a relief for everyone who has some level of investment in this franchise.  Its the biggest crossover since Cartoon All-stars to the Rescue, and it is quite the spectacle. […]

A Quiet Place

Ooh, I really liked this one. A Quiet Place is a horror flick with the conceit that evil creatures are attracted to loud noises, so keep your mouth shut! There are a lot of cool details that go along with this premise, like sand trails for walking, painted floorboards to show which don’t creek, etc. […]

Black Panther

I don’t have a whole lot to say about Black Panther, though whenever I say that I seem to have more to say than I would think. What I appreciated most from Black Panther was learning about a new fictional mythology, a new layer to this cinematic world they are building which also holds of […]