There’s a lot to unpack here. Not just the immense pressure in creating a sequel to “The Shining,” but the novel “Doctor Sleep” itself is quite long and covers a large swath of Danny Torrence’s life. It’s a testament, then, to the pure skill of everyone involved that “Doctor Sleep” ...
For an American hero as iconic as Harriet Tubman, it’s surprising that only now has a film been made attempting to capture her life and actions. With Kasi Lemmons (“Talk to Me,” “Black Nativity”) in the director’s chair and a script from herself and Gregory Allen Howard (“Remember the ...
This is an interesting position for a film to be in. While “The Terminator” and “T2: Judgement Day” are some of the finest action films ever made, the subsequent sequels “Rise of the Machines,” “Salvation” and “Terminator: Genisys” were…lackluster films to put it lightly. So, a ...
Here comes the queen, the dark faery, the mistress of evil. Angelina Jolie’s portrayal of Maleficent managed to overcome a mixed critical reception and flew straight to big box office receipts and audience praise for her version of the evil queen. A sequel seemed almost inevitable. So here it is, ...
October of 2009 introduced the world to four misfits in the zombie apocalypse so determined to keep from making connections that they just used their destinations as names. Now, a decade later, “Zombieland” is without a doubt a modern cult hit. The wry sense of humor and gory glory kills gave way ...
Yes, they’re creepy and they're kooky, mysterious and spooky, and all together ooky. They’re the Addams Family. But the creaky novelty of the characters has all but worn off nowadays. Not that they still aren’t beloved, but they simply deliver a kid’s movie with a creepy shine on it that isn’t ...
The idea of pitting technology against humanity is nothing new. In fact, it isn’t even remotely new given the barrage to films that feature a technological antagonist. Age of Ultron, Terminator Genisys, Transcendence, I Robot, Eagle Eye, The Day the Earth Stood Still, Total Recall, Elysium, Robocop, ...
There’s something otherworldly to “Joker.” Its dingy color palette and 1.78:1 aspect ratio conflict everything that past comic book movies have done. It’s small, cramped, claustrophobic, and mean. This is a dangerous and upsetting film, not for the faint of heart. Joaquin Phoenix (“Her,” ...
Dreamworks basically has two types of films: the pop-culture reference heavy comedy-based films (“Trolls, “The Boss Baby”), and the more dramatic emotionally based films (“Kung Fu Panda,” “How to Train Your Dragon”). That’s not to say that elements of both don’t blend back and ...
It’s common in fiction of any kind to use the fantastical to examine deeper and more common truths of humanity. Films like “Blade Runner” and “The Truman Show” have used elaborate and fanciful concepts to look at the simple concept of identity. “Ad Astra” is following in the footsteps ...
The evils of Wall Street have been dragged onto the big screen for years and years. Whether it’s a story about the general greed seemingly inherent in that strip of New York business (“Wall Street”) or more focused stories about the market crash of 2008 (“The Big Short”), the concept of the ...
“To lose something that should have been immortal. Please tell me it isn’t true.” That line may be referring to the titular “The Goldfinch” painting by Carel Fabritius, one could also re-purpose it as a statement on the film adaptation of the Pulitzer Prize winning novel, “The Goldfinch,” ...
Welcome back to Derry, Maine. Returning seemed inevitable. After the runaway success of the 2017 “IT” remake in the form of critical praise and box office records, it seemed like only a matter of time before the second half of arguably the most famous of Stephen King’s novels was adapted to the ...
Exaggeration is a vital component in any filmmaker’s toolbox. Whether you use it with extreme prejudice, like Martin Scorsese in films like “The Wolf of Wall Street,” or with extreme limitations, like Damien Chazelle in “Whiplash.” Exaggeration can also easily lead to excess, which is how ...
Quentin Tarantino sure does love his revisionist history. That fact shouldn’t be too out of the blue for anyone who has any knowledge of his previous films. “Django Unchained” and “Inglorious Bastards,” two films most argue are Tarantino’s best, are known for injecting a bad-ass good guy ...
How does one follow the end times? Well, director Jon Watts (“Cop Car,” “Spider-Man: Homecoming”) and writers Erik Sommers and Chris McKenna (both “The LEGO Batman Movie,” “Ant-Man and the Wasp”) decided to follow the end times with a vacation, taking one of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s ...
What does a filmmaker owe their audience? The argument can be made that people who decide to buy a ticket to “King of the Monsters” know what they’re getting themselves into. They want to see big monsters fight, so why bother trying to do more? This kind of an excuse is why genre films have languished ...
There are a fair number of comparisons to be made with “Rocketman” to last year’s “Bohemian Rhapsody.” The crossover in directors and characters, both centering on LGBTQ+ musicians with drug problems considered to be legendary musicians and both featuring extravagant costumes. However, while ...
The John Wick series is about two things: professionals and consequences. You’d be hard-pressed to find action films so meticulously obsessed with justifying the events that take place within their world and aren’t based in some other reality. This series that Keanu Reeves (“The Matrix,” “Bill ...
Sometimes, even the best films in a genre can lack that special something that makes them truly stand out. As good as movies like “Blockers,” “America Pie,” “Superbad” and “The 40-Year-Old Virgin” are, most are capable of providing laughs and that’s about it. Olivia Wilde’s ...
