Movie Review -- 'Sonic the Hedgehog 2' is Family Popcorn Fun

The words were ringing in my ears, a dire warning from Wedbush analyst Michael Pachter. He stated the theatre industry is: “not going to recover fully until consumers are confident that they won’t die if they go to the movies. That means no return to normal until there is a vaccine widely available, likely not until April to July 2021.”
Wow, what a gut punch for avid theatre buffs! And the numbers support him. Domestic movie box office is on pace to attract $2.1 billion in ticket sales this year — down 90 percent or $9 billion from the last two years. And...
Obscured amid the chaos of the world shutting down, emerge the barely-perceptible buds and blossoms of a remarkable turnaround. In his short 14 month tenure, Minnesota Timberwolves President Gersson Rosas has made a Turkish bazaar look sedate. He has wheeled and dealed the downtrodden franchise into a promising and even enviable position for next year.
When Rosas arrived, the Wolves were mired in salary cap hell, a mere $3 million short of the luxury tax. A very informative analysis by Dane Moore displayed...
Hall of fame tennis coach Steve Wilkinson rousted the Gustavus Adolphus Black Team early for the long van ride to Grambling, Louisiana. The day’s match represented a daunting task because the Black Team was the junior varsity from the Division III school facing off against Grambling’s Division II varsity.
The team understood that Grambling was a primarily black school and I’m sure that jangled the nerves of some on our lily white roster. After all, just two...
I’m at a loss on this one. What was clearly destined to be a failure, with a horrifying, nightmare-fueled design for one of the most iconic video game mascots of all time, has turned out to be a run-of-the-mill, slightly above average kids movie. I’m shocked.
Sonic the Hedgehog is about… erm…. Sonic the Hedgehog (Ben Schwartz). Fast talking, fast running, fast everything is the gist of his personality. Because of his incredible speed powers, he lives in hiding to prevent evil...
It isn’t always fair to compare a new film or franchise to an existing one, since every movie that eventually went on to become a series or cinematic universe had to start from somewhere. But in the case of The Rhythm Section, the comparison is half the marketing. Every trailer, radio ad, and bus stop promoting The Rhythm Section reminds us that it’s from the ‘producers of James Bond,” which in this case speaks volumes. Including this film, Eon Productions has only produced a total of three non-James Bond films. So when they’re dropping their third ever non-Bond movie in the January graveyard, short months away from the release of the...
Last January, Matthew McConaughey graced us with Serenity, one of the most baffling, bizarre, and terrible movies I’ve ever seen. Last summer, Guy Ritchie also bowed in with a bad movie. He didn’t helm the live-action Aladdin, rather he beached it. Given that we’re well into the season of theatrical releases that prioritize action and style over more substantive films, I have to admit I didn’t have high hopes for The Gentlemen. To my surprise and delight, it was...
Any doubts about the best movie experience in 1960 ended in the parking lot of the Cooper Theatre in St. Louis Park. The first hint for movie goers that it would not be business as usual was the outdoor fireplace and glittering fountain. And then astonishment with the small engine aircraft parked on the front lawn. How in the heck did they get that in here? Did they land that baby on Wayzata Boulevard? There were more marvels inside. The Cooper’s state of the art circular 105-foot-screen was the largest ever built. Seats were plush mohair and service was provided by usherettes donning...