Arts/Entertainment

Movie Review -- 'MIB: International' is the Death of "Galaxy Defenders"

I’m starting to pick up on what I believe to be the ‘Sony Pictures Formula’ for rebooting a property. It’s on full display here in MIB International, but you can see hints of it in the still-Sony adjacent Spider-Man Far From Home, and interviews with Paul Feig post-Ghostbusters Answer The Call reveal that it would have been used for the sequel to that film as well.

The formula goes something like this - start with a Columbia Pictures IP that is generally defined by its connection to New York City. Take the action...

Movie Review -- 'Rocketman' is a Masterful and Wonderfully Unique Biopic of Elton John

Way back when I reviewed 2018’s Bohemian Rhapsody, I mentioned how behind-the-scenes drama during the production of that film resulted in Rocketman’s director, Dexter Fletcher, taking over for Bryan Singer uncredited. Considering Bohemian Rhapsody was an enjoyable but confused and unambitious rock biopic, I was interested to see Fletcher’s Rocketman to see how well he took on telling a tale about a brilliant musician who rises to fame, falls onto bad times, and deals with hiding themselves from a world not quite ready for who they really are.

The answer, as it turns out, is way,...

Movie Review -- 'Aladdin' is a Shameful Remake of Disney Classic

Whether you like it or not, the box office will be playing host to Disney as they re-merchandise their back catalog into live-action movies until further notice. While the process began with earlier works produced a generation ago, now that the Mouse has decided to furiously tap into 90s nostalgia (the 30-year nostalgia cycle is relentless), this year we’re getting Aladdin and The Lion King repackaged and sold to us once again.

Putting snark aside for a moment, I don’t consider any piece of media so precious and holy that they should be preserved in amber. Remakes are as old as Hollywood itself, and...

Movie Review -- 'Avengers: Endgame' is the Perfect Culmination to 11 Years of Franchise Building

I have no idea how other film critics are going to handle reviewing Avengers Endgame. It’s a film that’s so heavily tied not just to other Marvel films, but since it's so obvious that the film began as Avengers Infinity War, Part II, writing out the plot of the movie feels like writing out the second half of a shorter film. So with that in mind, I’m going to try something different than the standard formula where I tell you what happens and then give my thoughts. Instead, I’m going to try and impart what it feels like to watch Avengers Endgame, and also give some viewing advice. Hopefully, you already got your tickets, since I hear they’re in short...

Movie Review -- 'Little' is Conventional, But Full of Heart and Humor

This has been a great month for movies about people magically changing age. First Shazam!, and now Little. I had been a little nervous, given how comedies tend to pack the trailers with the best scenes and leave little else to the imagination, but I was pleasantly surprised to find Little to be a fun movie, even if it follows a tried-and-true comedic formula.

Ever since a traumatic talent show moment changed nerdy young Jordan Sanders’ (Regina Hall) life, she vowed to use her intelligence to become to the boss so that she could...

Movie Review -- 'Shazam!' is a Funny and Refreshing Not-So-Typical Superhero Flick

There’s a scene in Shazam! that I think perfectly sums up how I feel about it. Cutting from an action packed scene, we’re shown a shot of a young boy smashing together Batman and Superman action figures together, making action noises and having fun. His attention is grabbed by something out the window, and we see Shazam fly by while fighting the main villain, and he notices the boy. Wide eyed and open mouthed, the boy drops the Batman and Superman figures to the ground.

When first announced, Shazam! sounded like an announcement by a studio building out a serious cinematic...

Movie Review -- 'Dumbo' is a Tribute and an Extension of the Original

Growing up, I liked two things more than anything: trains and elephants. So, an animated movie where elephants spend a lot of time on a train appealed to younger me, and as a result, Dumbo was my favorite Disney film.

Years later, it’s still high on my list, but with asterisks. Yes, it was originally a short that Disney decided to expand into a feature, leading to the film’s exceptionally short runtime (at 68 minutes, it’s one of the shortest of all the Disney features).

Yes, despite Pink Elephants being the best animated representation of surrealism...

Movie Review -- 'Five Feet Apart' is a Great Flick for Those Who Love Romance

Because I’m cynical and older than the target audience, I went into Five Feet Apart expecting to have to carefully write this review. It’s one thing if the movie is actually atrocious and it's obvious to all (so not Twilight, but maybe some of its fantasy romance knock-offs), but if it’s a passable piece of media that just isn’t for me, it’s not my place to tear it down unnecessarily. And given that The Fault in Our Stars really didn’t sit well with me, I struggled with how I would approach my dislike of the dying-kid-romance genre without it being unnecessarily negative to the film.

Well,...

Movie Review -- Despite Having Lots of Firepower, 'Triple Frontier' is a Dud

It’s not often that I get nostalgic for the VHS era. Yes, there was a lot to love about the mystery of bringing home a video from the rental place with nothing to go on but the cover. But for every hidden gem we uncovered, there was a pile of terrible Rambo knock-offs starring Charles Bronson that put a bunch of retired army guys against some one-dimensional villains that basically exist for our heroes for hire to mow down.

Nowadays, instead of the quirky local video store, we have Netflix, making the same C-movie schlock but putting A-list stars in it instead.

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Movie Review -- Brie Larson and Marvel Add Another Classic into Their Universe With 'Captain Marvel'

Marvel Studios right now is sort of enjoying the status Pixar did in the last decade - the studio name alone is an indication of a level of quality to expect. Unlike Pixar, however, Marvel Studios seems to be getting better with age. Captain Marvel is the 21st feature film in the franchise, and also functions as an origin story for the character. It also happens to be one of the best superhero origin stories in the Marvel canon, taking the formula found in earlier films like Iron Man and Doctor Strange, and tossing it aside for an identity crisis mystery.

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