09 Aug

As you're likely aware by now, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences have announced plans for a brand new category at next year's Oscars. This vague new award (criteria and eligibility are still TBA) celebrates "outstanding achievement in popular film." If you have no idea what the hell this will mean, you're not alone. Even as an ardent Oscar-watcher of 30 years, I haven't the slightest idea how this award will be determined. Lagging ratings over the last few years have seemingly pushed the Academy to make...

15:01 / Awards Season / Opinion
2 Likes
30 Jul

Over 20 years ago (!), Tom Cruise brought us the first chapter of a franchise nobody ever expected to last. After a bit of a misstep with the sequel (sorry, I know it has its supporters, but it's an overbloated mess) and disappointing box office result from the third film, many assumed it may be the last we'd seen of Ethan Hunt. Thankfully, Paramount stuck with this franchise, and thank god they did. With 'Mission: Impossible - Fallout,' the sixth film of this saga, they've delivered one of the greatest...

00:46 / Reviews
3 Likes
26 Jul

It's been six years since we lost the greatest voice of our generation. Or perhaps any generation, for that matter. Despite knowing how this tale tragically ends, it's hard not to hope for a happy ending while watching Kevin Macdonald's brilliant but heartbreaking documentary 'Whitney.' The film is equal parts entertaining and devastating, mapping Whitney Houston's meteoric rise to fame, her tumultuous relationship with Bobby Brown, her continual battles with drug addiction, and the tragic downfall which led to her untimely death in a Beverly Hills Hotel bathtub at the...

17:19 / Reviews
0 Likes
19 Jul

Most sequels exist purely on the basis of the first film making a truckload of money at the box office. You can't blame studios for wanting to cash in. Existing for no other reason than its predecessor earning over $600 million worldwide in 2008, 'Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again' is one of the most unnecessary films of the year. Nobody really needed to know the origins of Donna Sheridan and her young exploits which led to the failure of knowing the father of her daughter from three possible candidates....

17:27 / Reviews
1 Like
12 Jul

Ignoring the basic laws of physics, 'Skyscraper' is the kind of nonsensical Hollywood blockbuster you could probably hate all over. It's mindless action that barely makes any sense. But this is entirely what we expect from a film about people trapped in a giant tower on fire, so you really can't complain. This movie knows what it is. You get exactly what you paid for. And, if you're somehow able to switch off your brain and let the spectacle carry you away, it can be awfully fun....

16:57 / Reviews
0 Likes
11 Jul

There's a war raging in the pop culture world. It's an all-out battle between film fans and film critics. The simmering tensions may have always been there. Film critics have been around since the early days of the talkies. Film fans have obviously existed since movies began. But social media has given the most ardent of film fanatic direct access to those who seek to critique pieces of cinema....

00:04 / Opinion
4 Likes
05 Jul

The Marvel Cinematic Universe is truly one of the greatest modern-day achievements in blockbuster cinema entertainment. The 23 films have all dominated the box office, albeit to varying degrees, and the Marvel characters have established enormous pop culture relevance, in a world formerly occupied by their DC rivals. Think back to just a decade ago, and it was all about Batman and Superman. Nowadays, Iron Man and his fellow Avengers have completely taken over. Sure, Warner Bros. has been desperately striving to change that for the past few years....

12:05 / Opinion / Reviews
2 Likes
02 Jul

Oh, yes. It's already half-yearly report time. Where did six months of films go? It's been a rather mixed-bag of a year, thus far. As always, the year's truly great films are being saved for awards season time, so we're still yet to see the bulk of films which will likely make up most critic's end-of-year lists. But, thankfully, there have been several gems which may still be hanging around when it comes time to write the top ten of 2018. And maybe even a few which could...

10:19 / Reviews
4 Likes
28 Jun

Continuing their string of home runs, 'Ant-Man and the Wasp' is another glorious achievement for a studio we keep expecting to fail, yet seemingly never do. Providing precisely the antidote we needed after the devastating hole left in our hearts with one snap of Thanos' mighty fingers, the hilarious 'Ant-Man and the Wasp' could not be more pertinent. It's time for Marvel to provide us with some fun and levity again, and, boy, do they deliver....

17:51 / Reviews
4 Likes
21 Jun

While Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom initially reworks many elements of The Lost World, the horribly disappointing 1997 Jurassic Park sequel, it moves in an entirely different direction about a quarter of the way through its exhausting 2-hour running time. And it's not a particularly enjoyable direction. Yes, you may hear some admire its deviation from expectation, but there's really nothing to applaud here. It's a nonsensical mess that will likely leave you feeling extremely frustrated and terribly underwhelmed....

02:06 / Reviews
5 Likes