Ari Aster, writer, and director of last year's gothic family drama "Hereditary" is back with another disturbing tale of humanity versus horror. Though "Midsommar" shares a common pagan thread, it weaves a very different story, with far more beauty, depth, and gore. The film follows a familiar premise: A group of young Americans travels to [...]
It has been eight years since "X-Men: First Class" was released, but nearly thirty years have passed when "Dark Phoenix" picks up. It's the second super-hero film in three months that takes place in the '90s, but while "Captain Marvel" reveled in nostalgia this conclusion to the First Class series wallows in melodrama. The story [...]
"Rocketman" is an odd film, but in a world of by-the-numbers music biopics, that's a good thing. It seems the most talented musicians and artists all suffer from similar maladies. Either unloved or misunderstood by their parents, their art is fueled by pain. Success places them on a pedestal where it's even more lonely. Surrounded [...]
It's nice to occasionally shut off your brain and just enjoy a pure popcorn flick. A few plot holes and inconsistencies here and there are excusable, as long as the film plays by its own rules and doesn't insult the intelligence of its audience. The John Wick and Mission Impossible franchises are great examples of [...]
The word "Parabellum" is derived from the Latin phrase "If you want peace, prepare for war." It's also the name given to the most widely used 9mm rounds used. Both sides of this double entendre fit John Wick's third chapter perfectly, teasing the glorified action-porn that follows. For those new to the series, "John Wick" [...]
It's time for yet another gender-swapping remake! It's no secret that "The Hustle" is a remake of Frank Oz's 1988 "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels," which is itself a remake of Ralph Levy's 1964 "Bedtime Story." Screenwriters Stanley Shapiro and Paul Henning receive writing credits on all three films. The plot structure of these three films is [...]
The live-action videogame based children's movie is perhaps the most cringe-worthy genre to assault theaters. Time after time, studios churn this junk out, putting far less effort into the films than they do any of the games they are based on. As shown by the recent Sonic the Hedgehog trailer, if you alienate your fanbase, [...]
"Few people have the imagination for reality" is the quote "Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil, and Vile" [EWSEV] opens with. At first, it seemed like an odd choice for what was to follow. It's not the only creative choice in the movie that felt a bit unusual, but this is far from your typical True Crime [...]
Joe Berlinger has a notable history in True Crime films. He's written, directed, and produced some of the most iconic films in the genre, including the "Paradise Lost" trilogy which eventually led to the release of three unjustly imprisoned teenagers. An interesting set of circumstances led to him creating two (very different) Ted Bundy films, [...]
A film based on the “true story” of the KGB’s “longest serving” English spy, who wasn’t caught until she was in her 80s, and played by Dame Judi Dench? It sounds like an amazing premise for a fascinating film! Sadly, the summary is far more interesting than the movie, but that’s the magic of marketing. [...]
