After the massive commercial success of The Super Mario Bros. Movie three years ago, a sequel was a guarantee, and with Nintendo's massive marketing machine behind the follow-up, it was impossible that The Super Mario Galaxy Movie wouldn't also be a smash hit. However, just like its predecessor, the critical response is miles away from … Continue reading Plug and Play – The Super Mario Galaxy Movie
I've talked before in this space about the difference between subtlety and nuance in screenwriting. By basic definition, one feeds into the other, but in the practicalities of scripting for film, the two are similar but distinct ideas. You can be nuanced without being subtle, and vice versa. It comes down to the approach of … Continue reading The Write-Offs – American Fiction
There have been a lot of movies over the last decade based on consumer products. Most of them are thinly-veiled, feature-length commercials. But every once in a while, a film breaks through and becomes an essential part of our cultural conversation, like The Lego Movie. We can safely add Greta Gerwig's Barbie to that short … Continue reading Life in Plastic – Barbie
For anyone who has been shivering with anticipation over this review, I do apologize for its lateness. The long-awaited follow-up to the Oscar-winning Into the Spider-Verse was certainly one of the most anticipated releases for the year, and its critical and box office reception shows that it did not disappoint. However, it did take me … Continue reading The Tangled Web – Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
Movie theatres are starting to reopen across the country, and even flicks that initially went to a theatre are quickly becoming available on demand for those of us who still can't go. It's just the sort of thing to give us all a faint glimmer of hope that the world isn't completely terrible after all, … Continue reading DownStream – May Dates
I Actually Paid To See This 