Surely, the most dreaded words in all of feature film development must be “it needs a new direction.” [Followed closely by “I have a few notes”]. Not that searching for a new direction is bad; some fantastic films have come from creatives throwing out what came before and, in the process, re-discovering an original truth. …
Review
I still remember the illustrations. Drawn originally by Stephen Gammell, I remember the feeling of my breath seizing as I stared at the screaming scarecrow on the cover of Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark and thinking to myself, “Nope.” It would be a couple more years until I would actually conquer my fear and …
The image is compelling: a bride in her wedding dress with a gun in her hands and ammo strapped around her body. You know exactly what you’re in for… or do you? I tried to stay as far away from the original trailer as I could before I watched Ready or Not, starring Samara Weaving, …
Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw is exactly what you think it is – a film with a ridiculously convoluted title. It’s also big, dumb, loud, and frequently great fun. It’s the kind of movie Michael Bay thinks he’s making but isn’t. It’s also frequently not the film it thinks it is. Mainly because …
If it is indeed true that Quentin Tarantino is going to retire after his tenth film (Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood, for all intents and purposes, is supposed to be his ninth), he could be dangerously close to proving the old adage that it is better to burn out than to fade away. Not …
Stuber feels almost revolutionary in a summer where every film seems to have earth-shattering stakes and where the simple pleasures of a good belly laugh and solid chemistry between actors happy to be there seem like the movie staples of a bygone era. To whip out an old critic’s cliché, they really don’t make them …
Before I start this The Lion King review, I want to address something so you know where I stand. There has been some discussion online lately about whether or not people are fans of Disney live-action remakes. Though I’ve enjoyed reading both sides, I have loved some and not others. I’m also okay with changes …
Spider-Man: Far From Home is a film caught up in the inconsistencies of grief. It suggests grief both causes individuals to freeze in their pre-trauma state and to attempt to put it behind them come hell or high water. Even as their every action is being caused by their grief, they are also turning their …
It’s difficult not to compare Ari Aster’s Midsommar to his previous film, Hereditary; in both, Aster uses grief as an entry point into explorations of horror and despair. In the case of Midsommar, that grief hits directly and quickly as Dani (Florence Pugh) is given some devastating news that destroys her world as she knows it. Her …
The great philosopher Tyler Durden once said, “The things we possess end up possessing us.” Taking that sort of glib pseudo-philosophy seriously is bound to backfire, but someone has anyway, so we may as well grapple with it. The possession under discussion is the haunted doll Annabelle, which has been traveling in search of a …
It is difficult not to get teary-eyed when I think about the Toy Story franchise. It is a movie franchise that I quite literally grew up on, with the first movie coming out in 1995, right when I was a young pre-schooler. And, while I may not be the biggest fan of sequels to animated films, the Toy …
The new Netflix film Murder Mystery, starring Jennifer Aniston and Adam Sandler, is released today. In the film, when a NYC cop (Adam Sandler) finally takes his wife (Jennifer Aniston) on a long-promised European trip, a chance meeting on the flight with a mysterious man (Luke Evans) gets them invited to an intimate family gathering on …
Much has been made in recent years of Disney’s decision to start converting its properties into live-action films. Many arguments have been made about this decision, with many even wondering what is the point. I would argue that the point of an adaptation is not only to bring the story to life but also to …
Star Wars fans received a unique gift for Star Wars Day this year when A Musical About Star Wars – or Why Star Wars is the Greatest Thing in the Galaxy, Much Much Better than Star Trek opened Off-Broadway in New York City. It’s a double gift for geeks like me to have my fandom collide …
At the risk of sounding like this is a breakup letter, this is the hardest review I’ve ever had to write. Almost everything would be a spoiler, and I promise, this is spoiler-free. Heck, this is harder than the recent Blade Runner sequel. Still, I’ll do my best. Avengers: Endgame is the most satisfying film …
I am a massive Stephen King fan. Pet Sematary is one of my favorite King novels & films. When I heard they were remaking this, I had the knee-jerk reaction that most of the internet had: “No! Hollywood is remaking yet another classic yet again instead of coming up with fresh ideas. Nothing is sacred!! …
On October 23, 1941, audiences everywhere were introduced to the little flying elephant with wings so huge that it practically caused him to soar. Disney‘s Dumbo won the hearts of many — both young and old — with its simple, yet effective storyline and a heartwarming character many could relate to. Now, Disney has aimed …
People have been talking about a change in tone for DC superhero films for a while now. I’ve certainly been one of them. There are a million think pieces on how the world has gone to hell in a handbag and how we need films that take us away from that these days. Wonder Woman …
It’s a hard thing to review Marvel Studios movies when you don’t want to give anything away but to preserve the mystery of what’s coming, that’s what I’m going to do. I will say this: Make sure you go see this movie early because between the plot and the mid- and after-credits scenes, there are …
The terminal romance plotline is a familiar favorite for those who love the Young Adult genre. The plot generally focuses on two main characters, with one of them having a terminal disease that will eventually kill one of the characters that we grow to love. Sometimes, there is a romantic element, but other times, the …