I like to think that, overall, 2022 was a better year than 2021. There were some down moments, to be sure - Billie Eilish won an Oscar before Lin-Manuel Miranda, I had to move my mother into hospice, Republicans retook the House, basically every celebrity we still cared about died, AMC charged us more money … Continue reading The Best (and Worst) of 2022
I've been a fan of Jenny Slate for a long time. She's a tremendous actress, one of the funniest comedians in the world, and an almost unequaled voice talent. In particular, her work on Bob's Burgers, The Great North, and Big Mouth is just astounding. She has an almost unparalleled ability to breathe life into … Continue reading Great Thing in a Small Package – Marcel the Shell with Shoes On
Normally I try to put out a review within 24-48 hours of seeing a movie. Sometimes my schedule gets in the way, but more often than not, I want to critique something while it's still fresh in my mind. That was not possible in this case. It's not that Everything Everywhere All at Once didn't … Continue reading Embrace the Chaos – Everything Everywhere All at Once
The hardest love stories to tell are the ones that happen after the fall. It's so easy to show people finding one another and getting that triumphant moment of romance or familial rapport. But what happens once those relationships become routine, when one settles down and settles in for the long haul? That is the … Continue reading A Smooth Story with a Neat Relationship – On the Rocks
I fully admit that I was not the biggest fan of The Secret Life of Pets when it came out a couple years ago. What began as an interesting premise - What do your pets do when you're not home? - quickly turned into 90 minutes of one-note jokes, a completely nonsensical Toy Story ripoff, some serious … Continue reading Literally Sent to a Farm Upstate – The Secret Life of Pets 2
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
There's a reason that Disney fought so hard to bring Spider-Man into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, giving us the truly awesome Homecoming in the process. It's because Sony, which has owned the movie rights to the character and its franchise since the turn of the century, has basically ruined him. We got one decent movie (Spider-Man), … Continue reading One Big Gloppy Mess of Goop – Venom
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
I Actually Paid To See This 