It's been six years since Bong Joon Ho's critically acclaimed "Parasite." A mix of sci-fi, politics, and pitch-black humor, "Mickey 17" reminds us that few directors can weave such layered satires as Bong Joon Ho. "Mickey 17" isn't the latest in a long franchise no one has heard of, instead the title refers to the [...]
Introduction It’s been 7 years since the release of my favorite film of 2018, Paddington 2. It is, in my opinion, one of the best films of the 2010s and leaves a daunting task in following it up. It has a lot going against it, unfortunately. A sequel that comes out 7 years after the [...]
Introduction Turning pre-teen graphic novels into films has certainly been a mixed bag. One of my daughters is in the perfect age range for these, having gone through phases for both Captain Underpants and Diary of a Wimpy Kid. Both of those theatrical adaptations were hard for me to watch (although I think Captain Underpants [...]
Universal has been trying to breathe life back into their "Universal Monsters" IP unsuccessfully for years. In 2020 Blumhouse produced a reimagining of "The Invisible Man" by writer/director Leigh Whannell. This unique take on the story won over audiences and critics with its modernization and switching the perspective from the villain to the victim. This [...]
Let’s face it: 2024 has been a GREAT year for movies. Every time I saw a great movie, I thought to myself, “the movies are back, baby!” Of course, we are still approximately 15% lower in total box office revenue than last year. But I think the worst of is behind us as the studios [...]
Introduction If 2014’s movie adaptation of Into the Woods was your introduction to the actual musical, you were likely disappointed. For some reason Disney thought it would be great for their brand to have a musical that uses fairy tales as a metaphor for the hard parts of growing up and parenting. They also left [...]
Can your faith stand up to facts? Does the truth matter if someone is confident in their beliefs? Can an honest search for the one true religion drive a man to madness? A24's creepy new thriller "Heretic" challenges the audience with these questions and more. "Heretic" is co-written and directed by Scott Beck and Bryan [...]
Introduction I am a man who, for better or worse, has to categorize films. My categories do often include genre, but they also transcend that. For example, Red One has many similarities to another film, Red Notice. They both star Dwayne Johnson with at least one another blockbuster friendly actor. They both were meant for [...]
Sony's most successful Spiderman spin-off character, Venom, is back for the conclusion(?) of their trilogy in "Venom: The Last Dance." The first two chapters were silly and chaotic but worked as fun, escapism entertainment. Can "The Last Dance" recreate the messy magic, or will this finale fall flat? The movie opens with something I've never [...]
The gleeful trauma-eating-entity has returned in the second chapter of writer/director Parker Finn's "Smile" franchise. But will this sequel be more of the same, or expand into a bigger story? Starting six days after the end of the last film, "Smile 2" opens with Joel (Kyle Gallner) desperately looking for a way to pass the [...]
