I admit to having felt a fair degree of trepidation when The Naked Gun was announced. Legacy sequels are, by and large, unnecessary, unwarranted, unwanted, and underwhelming. I understand the nature of the beast that is the entertainment industry's current business model, where basically nothing can get greenlit if it isn't associated with a well-known … Continue reading Living Up to Leslie – The Naked Gun
Two items of business to address right up front. First, my financial/employment situation has not improved, so as you've no doubt already noticed, coverage of new movies is down severely at this point, and will likely continue for the foreseeable future. I've only reviewed one film for July, and I have one more in the … Continue reading This Film Is Not Yet Watchable – August 2025
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
Those who understand the above reference are almost certainly pausing to pull up the remix on YouTube. For those blissfully unaware, allow me to sully your brains. Back in 1992, Sega released a home port of the side-scrolling science fiction shooter game, Zero Wing, which was popular in Japanese arcades in the late 80s. The … Continue reading Somebody Set Up Us the Bomb – Retribution
Normally I'd begin this column with a statement about how August is essentially the second month of the year unofficially designated as a studio dumping ground. We're at the end of Blockbuster Season, which means most of the tentpole movies have had their moment in the spotlight - for better or worse - and that … Continue reading This Film is Not Yet Watchable – August 2023
Debuting on the festival circuit last year before getting its theatrical release this week, Marlowe is the 100th feature film for one of cinema's greats, Liam Neeson. And it would seem that director Neil Jordan (who previously worked with Neeson in 1996 with Michael Collins) has taken the occasion as one to celebrate not just … Continue reading The Centennial – Marlowe
We're firmly into Summer Blockbuster season, and that means one of two strategies come to bear at the box office. Either the major studios will put out their biggest budget films against one another to battle it out for supremacy, or they'll space them out so that there's one default movie for audiences to watch … Continue reading This Film is Not Yet Watchable – June 2019
As Awards Season kicks itself into high gear, there's an overwhelming glut of movies to watch, especially now, in the age of streaming services. Filmmakers and content creators from all over the world have more outlets than ever to get their work to the masses, and into consideration for the industry's highest honors. It's in … Continue reading Back Row Thoughts: Chillin’ with Netflix
I caught a little bit of flack earlier this year (and not just the playful kind from my girlfriend) over my insistence to NOT see Ocean's 8. I stand by my decision, and I still allow for the possibility of seeing it if I am given a compelling reason. Basically, my choice boiled down to three … Continue reading A Women’s Heist Film That Actually Deserves to Exist – Widows
It's mid-January, and this is the first official film of 2018 to get a look (the previous two reviews were technically 2017 releases). The winter months tend to be dumping grounds for the major studios - films they either don't believe will make money or just don't believe are any good. With the main focus … Continue reading Liam Neeson Meets a Stranger on a Train, and Some Other Movie References – The Commuter
I Actually Paid To See This 