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
I have a major problem with horror movies that focus its terrors on religious mythology, specifically Judeo-Christian. It's not that religion can't be scary. Just look at The Exorcist, one of the greatest films of all time, and not just for the horror genre. My issue is that for the vast majority of these films, … Continue reading Cinematic Evidence That God Doesn’t Exist – The Unholy
After 2019's Godzilla: King of the Monsters, I had two meaningful requests for the inevitable clash between Gojira and King Kong. The first was that we'd have some combat take place during the day, so we could actually see what's going on, instead of that film's sickly rain-on-night blue darkness that obscured just about everything. … Continue reading Monster Trash – Godzilla vs. Kong
The leitmotif of middle-aged actors becoming action film stars is always a fascinating one, because you can never quite tell which ones will work and which ones won't. Yeah, there are fairly safe guesses like Liam Neeson, who was always a badass, and Keanu Reeves, who had action chops as part of his repertoire beforehand. … Continue reading Better Call a Pall Bearer – Nobody
In the 30+ years of Paul Greengrass' directorial career, he's basically done two types of movies - action films (particularly the Jason Bourne series) and 21st century geopolitical intrigue (United 93, Green Zone, etc). Now, with his latest film, News of the World, he's beginning a third motif - Tom Hanks rescue films. It started … Continue reading This Just In… A Passable Western – News of the World
I am not a fan of the Golden Globes, apart from Ricky Gervais' biting jokes and monologues. Thankfully, he's hosting again next year, so at least I'll have a reason to fast forward through my roommate's DVR record. But apart from that, the Globes, and the organization that runs it - The Hollywood Foreign Press … Continue reading Congratulations, Your Checks Have Cleared – 77th Golden Globe Nominations Announced!
There's a lot to unpack with the new indie film, The Peanut Butter Falcon, which debuted at the South by Southwest festival this year, then opened early in August before having its wide release last weekend. Most of that stuff is on a more meta level than the actual film itself, which I'll just say right … Continue reading Wrestling is Stupid, But This Movie is Not – The Peanut Butter Falcon
Ten points if you get the reference in the headline (the points mean nothing). Anyway, Octavia Spencer is one of the best character actresses out there, and it's a shame that she's almost always shunted to the side into a supporting role, usually that of "sassy black friend." She's earned an Oscar for her efforts, … Continue reading Better Not Bring Yo Kids! – Ma
There's a small knickknack in my mother's house that's been there ever since we moved from Delaware to upstate New York in 1996. It's essentially a framed postcard with an inspirational message, like a cross-stitch sampler that hadn't actually been stitched. It says simply, "Home is not a place, it's a feeling." She has another … Continue reading They’ll Steal Your Heart and Your Wallet – Shoplifters
