Movie Review

My two oldest boys have been ridiculously excited to see the second chapter in the Sonic film franchise ever since they completed watching the first movie. After we finished the original, questions poured in regarding Sonic, his rings, Dr. Robotnik, Tails, the Sega games themselves, and "who is faster: Sonic or The Flash?"  The commercials for the sequel piqued interest and anticipation to the point they were counting down the days until a viewing. I was glad to be able to surprise them with a press screening of the sequel a week before the film released. I am also glad to report, none of us were let down. We had a blast.  ...

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...

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...

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,...

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is a film that will not come without controversy. The film will be loved and hated, but I would argue it's hard not to love. As with most J.J. Abrams movies, it is nothing groundbreaking in terms of storytelling -- the film is very plot-driven, with characters constantly racing from one "make or break" scenario to the next. They are constantly running from an enemy in the First Order from one dire mission to the next. There is very little time for the characters to just exist, to talk to one another about something other than the plot, or for the sake of character building. But akin to Abrams'...

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 out of New...

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, way better....

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 bully...

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 universe...