'Joker' is not a rewriting of the comic book movie genre. It is not a social movement. But it is definitely a film worth talking about. How you choose to interpret what it says is up to you.
Read More »REVIEW: ‘Ad Astra’ is an inner voyage worth taking
Brad Pitt's performance, the deliberate pacing, the uniformly gorgeous visuals, and the attention given to everything seen and heard rank "Ad Astra" as one of the great modern space operas.
Read More »REVIEW: Samuel L. Jackson cranks up the laughs and antics in ‘Shaft’
While not politically correct, and likely to offend some viewers, 'Shaft' cranks up the humor, antics, and action enjoyably enough to merit a light viewing.
Read More »REVIEW: ‘Spider-Man: Far From Home’ pushes Spider-Man, and the MCU, into the future
By now we should all know the phrase (credited to Ben Parker) which governs Spider-Man’s existence. In the five movies in which this current version of Ben’s nephew has appeared, the MCU has wisely avoided giving us yet another utterance of this ubiquitous phrase. As the first film following the …
Read More »REVIEW: ‘Toy Story 4’ is Pixar’s attempt to move on
As we watch Woody pondering the next step after fulfilling his initial purpose, we see Pixar doing the same with 'Toy Story 4.'
Read More »The welcoming Spider-Verse: Finding your ‘self’ in a web of others
All of culture is a vast web of connections in which we are more deeply connected than we ever knew. In short, we actually live in a real Spider-Verse. Here's how we can create a more diverse, inclusive, and welcoming one.
Read More »REVIEW: ‘Dark Phoenix’ is bad—not funny-bad or offensive-bad, just bad
[*No spoiler review*] As the credits rolled to close Dark Phoenix I looked over to the friend who foolishly accompanied me and remarked, “So when does the movie start?” We then waited a moment trying to put together the words to properly describe the images and noises we had previously …
Read More »REVIEW: ‘Avengers: Endgame’ does the impossible
There are fourteen million six hundred and five ways in which "Avengers: Endgame" could have been made, but none in which it could have been better.
Read More »REVIEW: Kids will enjoy ‘Shazam!’ but as for anyone else….
To put it quite simply: Despite wanting to like it, I didn't buy "Shazam!" because the film didn't sell itself, unfortunately.
Read More »REVIEW: After a shaky start ‘Captain Marvel’ tosses away its shackles
During one particularly poignant sequence, I imagined my friend in the seat next to me showing 'Captain Marvel' to his two-year-old daughter and the broad smile on her face upon realizing that she too can stand up every time she's knocked down.
Read More »REVIEW: ‘Alita: Battle Angel’ is the best American manga adaptation ever
'Alita: Battle Angel' is Robert Rodriguez's best film in years, James Cameron's best film in years, the best American manga adaptation ever, and one of the most entertaining new worlds in a long, long time.
Read More »REVIEW: The Lego Universe holds together in ‘The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part’
The real test of quality is whether the material holds up once the surprise fades. For 'The Lego Movie 2,' the answer, delivered with more tepidity than enthusiasm, is yes.
Read More »Pop Mythology’s Ten Best Movies of 2018
For 2018 one of the most dominant statements has been that great cinema is not limited by genre, personnel, distribution, or any other such qualifier.
Read More »REVIEW: The pieces of ‘Glass’ come together before being shattered
Despite feeling rushed and disjointed, one thing that can be said about 'Glass' is that no matter how many superhero movies are made, no one but M. Night Shyamalan would make a superhero movie quite like this one.
Read More »REVIEW: Fish and cheese do not mix in ‘Aquaman’
There is already enough inherited cheese in a man wearing glowing underwater armor firing a plasma rifle while riding on the back of giant shrimp. We don't need more.
Read More »