Endure the Bad for the Really Good – Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings

The films of the Marvel Cinematic Universe tend to follow a fairly set formula at this point, especially for the origin stories. You get the standard hero's journey archetype of an otherwise mild-mannered person thrust into a supernatural situation beyond their control. There are a couple of good action scenes to make up for the … Continue reading Endure the Bad for the Really Good – Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings →

Talk to Me Like Lovers Do – Together

Hello, everyone! It's been a little bit of a hiatus due to my most recent project (People Puzzler, season 2, debuting Monday, 9/27 on GSN!), but I wrapped yesterday, which means I'm finally able to properly catch up on reviews and get back to regular movie watching. Thanks for sticking with me. Anyhoo, it's somewhat … Continue reading Talk to Me Like Lovers Do – Together →

Same Old Song and Dance – Respect

One of the sad side effects of the COVID pandemic was the complete reshuffling of the movie release schedule, by necessity, due to the shuttering of theatres nationwide. Some films went online, others got delayed multiple times, and some appear to be all but abandoned at this point. For me, the biggest hit was that … Continue reading Same Old Song and Dance – Respect →

He’s Your Buddy, Friend! – Free Guy

It really is amazing to me how wide the chasm of quality is between movies based on existing video games and those based on the general ideas and concepts of video games. In my near-40 years, I've only enjoyed two direct adaptations, the 1995 Mortal Kombat, which as I've noted was a perfect storm of … Continue reading He’s Your Buddy, Friend! – Free Guy →

A Puppet Cheer – Annette

I mentioned in my review of The Sparks Brothers (which remains the best theatrically-released documentary I've seen this year) that one of the few setbacks for Ron and Russ Mael in their careers was the collapse of a collaboration with director Tim Burton on a feature film. However, as noted, even that heartbreak has since … Continue reading A Puppet Cheer – Annette →

A Good Day to Dye – Swan Song

There's a common saying in the pop culture community regarding great character actors. They're grouped together as "That Guy"s, people we see all the time, across tons of movies and TV, but for the most part their names aren't often remembered except by fans until they get their moment in the sun to play a … Continue reading A Good Day to Dye – Swan Song →

This is What Happens When You Try – The Suicide Squad

Over the last few years, the DC Extended Universe has seemingly - and finally - come into its own. With dud after dud from Batman v. Superman to Justice League, the ship really feels like its been righted, thanks to the overwhelming success of Wonder Woman, Birds of Prey, and Shazam!. There's still a misstep … Continue reading This is What Happens When You Try – The Suicide Squad →

A Complete and Total Knox-off – Stillwater

Tom McCarthy has proven himself as a thoughtful and insightful writer and director over the last two decades. The crowning achievement of both was Spotlight, which won him an Oscar for Original Screenplay as well as Best Picture. It's one of the greatest films of the century so far, highlighting the yeoman's work that goes … Continue reading A Complete and Total Knox-off – Stillwater →

It’s Not Easy Being Gawain – The Green Knight

A couple years ago I got to briefly meet director David Lowery at a Q&A following his film, The Old Man & the Gun. As much as I enjoyed the film, I was captivated by Lowery's reverence for Robert Redford as an actor, and for the Western film genre that he was both deconstructing and … Continue reading It’s Not Easy Being Gawain – The Green Knight →

Live to Work, Work to Live – Nine Days

I've mentioned before that one of my favorite movies is Hirokazu Kore-eda's After Life from 1998, easily one of the most profound existential explorations ever put to celluloid. In it, a group of dead social workers welcome the souls of the recently deceased to a way station of sorts, where they spend a week interviewing … Continue reading Live to Work, Work to Live – Nine Days →