There's an odd weather condition in southern California known as the "June Gloom." Here in SoCal it's a bit of an annual tease. Sometimes we're in drought conditions, and some years we're not, but in either case, we basically only get rain during the winter months, occasionally dipping into April. But once spring is in … Continue reading This Film is Not Yet Watchable – June 2021
Going into this review, I need to make one thing perfectly clear. I have not seen the entire Saw series leading up to this point. I've seen the original, which I actually rank among my all-time favorite horror movies. I enjoyed Cary Elwes' performance, I liked the central conceit of giving bad people a chance … Continue reading Going Around in Circles – Spiral: From the Book of Saw
It's been a month since what may have been the most batshit Oscars ceremony ever, and a lot of that train wreck was necessitated by the world's adjustment to the COVID-19 pandemic. Timelines got shifted, streaming movies became an option, and the need for social distancing resulted in the whole affair being awkwardly staged at … Continue reading Somewhat Back to Normal – 94th Oscars Announced!
Tyler Sheridan has carved himself quite a nice little niche in the neo-Western movement. From his days acting on Sons of Anarchy, to his lauded scripts for Sicario and Hell or High Water, he's more than established himself as having a uniquely fun understanding of both sides of the law, and how to depict it … Continue reading A Delayed Burn – Those Who Wish Me Dead
Guy Ritchie and Jason Statham have been quite the dynamic duo over the last two decades, particularly Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels and Snatch, which were Statham's first roles overall. The two have an understanding bordering on rapport when they work together, filling in each other's creative gaps with ease. Statham isn't the best … Continue reading Shoot Up and Drive – Wrath of Man
Sometimes you just need two hours to feel good watching a movie. You don't need nomination-worthy performances, or spectacular scenery, or even an above average screenplay. Every once in a while, all you need is a couple of decent laughs and a formulaic plot to make you smile. That's what we get with Dream Horse, … Continue reading The Course of a Horse – Dream Horse
Hello everyone! Sorry for going dark for the past 10 days. After this year's Blitz, I was just a tad burned out. It's no surprise, as between the Oscars coverage and new reviews and content, I posted on here for 50 consecutive days. I've never had a streak that long before. So to give myself … Continue reading Ding Dong, the Witch is… On Hiatus! – 2022 Golden Globes Effectively Canceled
The refugee and immigration crises around the world have been mined for content and stories, both real and fictitious, for several years now. And while common themes like racism, poverty, and war have been explored quite a few times, the feeling of detachment and isolation hasn't been given nearly as much attention or depth. That … Continue reading Stuck in the Middle Refuge – Limbo
If you're a follower of this blog, you've probably read a review or two where I criticized a film for not going far enough with its premise. Sometimes it's a prestige film that pulls it punches, and sometimes it's more escapist popcorn fare that only goes crazy in the dumbest ways rather than entertaining ones. … Continue reading iLoveIt – The Mitchells vs. The Machines
It's basically been a year since I've gotten to do this. In June 2020 I fell behind by two weeks, with the intent of doing a column in July, because that's when theatre chains were initially planning to open back up. But then everything went even further into the shit, reopening schedules were completely scrapped, … Continue reading This Film is Not Yet Watchable – May 2021
I Actually Paid To See This 