I've had a very hard time compartmentalizing my thoughts on Wicked Part One, which is the actual title of the film despite the endless dishonest marketing that just called it Wicked as if it was the whole story (including using the line, "Let me tell you the whole story" in the finished movie and trailer), … Continue reading Defying Brevity – Wicked Part One
It's been a hot minute since I've posted anything, but for once there's good reason. I spent five days last week covering AFI Fest, taking in a whopping 16 films over the course of the festival. Tomorrow I'll be getting up at the ass crack of dawn for four days of election work going through … Continue reading This Film is Not Yet Watchable – November 2024
I was able to see They Shot the Piano Player during this year's Mill Valley Film Festival, covering the event for my friends at No Rest for the Weekend for the first time. In the brief recap I did for them, I noted that this was the most unique film I saw of the bunch, … Continue reading Wasted Talent – They Shot the Piano Player
Back in 2006, filmmaker M. Night Shyamalan released what is arguably his worst movie, Lady in the Water. Derided for being incredibly self-indulgent, the project was rightly lambasted for Shyamalan's sanctimonious take on art, writing, and criticism, in which he essentially staged a cinematic hissy fit due to negative reactions to his previous work. He … Continue reading The Play’s the Thing – Asteroid City
Despite my inordinate amount of snark and cynicism, I'm being completely honest when I say that I want to see the positive in just about everything. Even for a film like Jurassic World Dominion, the teaser of which I named as "The Worst Trailer in the World... This Month," one that I knew based on … Continue reading Insert Extinction Joke Here – Jurassic World Dominion
I saw 111 new films in 2018 between the theatre and streaming services. Eleventy-one movies, eleventy-one reviews, either stand-alone or in groups. Eleventy-one chances to thrill, to laugh, to cry, and to outright despise. It's been a hell of a run this first year, and we're still not done. There are still plenty of movies … Continue reading The Best (and Worst) of 2018
Anyone who's been reading this blog over the past six months knows there is one thing I hate in cinema more than anything else - cynical Hollywood cash grabs. These are the movies that are thrown together purely to make money, with little to no regard for quality, story, or even basic logic. They're often … Continue reading What Else Could Possi-BLYE Go Wrong? – Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom
Of the major movies released this past weekend, only one ended up with that dreaded splat on Rotten Tomatoes, and even then, just barely, at 59%. So before I take a look at the critical darlings of the weekend, I figured I'd give a little bit of attention to Hotel Artemis, an ambitious siege thriller that … Continue reading A Pastiche Siege That Aims to Please – Hotel Artemis
The films of Wes Anderson have been sort of hit and miss for me. I absolutely loved The Grand Budapest Hotel, and thought it should have won Best Picture. I got Rushmore, but apart from the lead performances, it really didn't resonate. I couldn't stand The Royal Tenenbaums. I enjoy his artistic style and snappy dialogue, but sometimes … Continue reading If I Had a Tail, it Would Wag the Whole Time – Isle of Dogs
I Actually Paid To See This 