As Awards Season gets underway, you'll notice a shift in my regular coverage. I'll of course watch and review every mainstream movie I can muster the strength to see, but as we get ever closer to next year's Oscar Blitz, I'll also be taking whatever steps possible to get out in front of potential nominees … Continue reading The Freedom of Music – Ernest & Celestine: A Trip to Gibberitia
One of the cornerstone principals of comedy is the idea of escalation. The further you can take a premise or scenario, the higher the odds of hilarity become. In improv, the phrase, "Yes, and..." encapsulates it perfectly. You accept the concept that another has given to you, and you expand upon it, creating new avenues … Continue reading American Cupcake – Bottoms
Those who understand the above reference are almost certainly pausing to pull up the remix on YouTube. For those blissfully unaware, allow me to sully your brains. Back in 1992, Sega released a home port of the side-scrolling science fiction shooter game, Zero Wing, which was popular in Japanese arcades in the late 80s. The … Continue reading Somebody Set Up Us the Bomb – Retribution
In 2007, Helen Mirren, inarguably one of the greatest film performers of all time, won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her work in The Queen, where she portrayed the late Queen Elizabeth II in the wake of Princess Diana's death. The balance between stoic properness, grief for her family, and inner conflict over … Continue reading The Prime Minister – Golda
For the longest time, making a good movie based on a video game was one of the toughest nuts to crack in the entertainment industry. Part of the problem was that far too many tried to make a basic genre film within the universe of what was, at least for the time, a very limited … Continue reading Games of Thunder – Gran Turismo
Over the past few years there have been several family-friendly films about the bond between humans and their dogs. Each has its charms and shortcomings, but the basic theme that these movies try to get across for the sake of the youngest viewer is in how naturally loving a canine can be, and how we … Continue reading Reggie The Shunted – Strays
Over the last few years, Hollywood has had something of a long overdue reckoning when it comes to representation in media. While far from perfect, the necessary conversations and actions are underway to ensure that talented artists from all aspects of production are getting the opportunities to tell their stories and share their unique perspectives. … Continue reading Hombre Araña – Blue Beetle
There's a crucial lesson to be learned from The Last Voyage of the Demeter, the new horror movie based on Bram Stoker's original Dracula novel. It's not about ethics, morality, or even basic survival. No, more than anything, this film is a pristine example of how NOT to do an adaptation. From the very first … Continue reading I Want it to Make Sense – The Last Voyage of the Demeter
Arguably the most formulaic of film genres, it's rare when a romantic comedy reaches for something beyond the conventions of the style. Attractive people have a meet-cute, fall in love, have some third act conflict, and then reconcile for their version of a "happily ever after." There are plenty of movies that work within this … Continue reading Nigh Fidelity – Shortcomings
When the trailers for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem first came out, I was a little bit skeptical, mostly because the 2007 animated film felt uninspired and later Michael Bay did his level best to destroy yet another beloved institution of my childhood. It had been a long time since the original TV cartoon … Continue reading Shell-tered Youth – Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem
I Actually Paid To See This 