Bill & Ted Face the Music
So the last time we saw Bill & Ted, it was 29 years ago. A lot has changed since the duo’s Excellent Adventure (1989) and Bogus Journey (1991). I mean, let’s be real. It’s been nearly three decades. Neither installment was what I’d call great cinema but they both coast on the affable charm of […]
The Personal History of David Copperfield
Frenzied, stylized version of David Copperfield is such a hyperactive exercise that you’d swear it was based on a comic book and not the Charles Dickens’ book published in 1850. The production is nothing if not creative — a vibrant display of manic drama fashioned around a memorable performance by Dev Patel at the center […]
Project Power
There is a (brief) moment where Project Power isn’t a turgid mishmash of special effects and badly edited action sequences. It occurs when actress Dominique Fishback portraying high schooler Robin Reilly drops a series of rhymes extemporaneously built around random words suggestions by Art (Jamie Foxx). These meticulously clever raps probably weren’t dashed off as […]
Unhinged
It’s too early to say, but this might be the turning point where critics determine Russell Crowe’s career changed. I must say, it’s rather interesting to see an Oscar winner (Gladiator) doing such an unabashedly B-movie. Crowe was clearly doing prestige pictures in 2012 when he starred as Javert in Les Misérables. I also consider […]
Sputnik
Sputnik embraces an ethos that will undoubtedly endear itself to some viewers more than others. Personally, I get it. There’s something extremely satisfying about a thoughtful sci-fi saga. Scientists that are driven by intellectual thought more closely resemble the way things play out in real life than an action star that shoots first and asks […]
Made in Italy
Made in Italy feels like it was inspired by a dare. What exactly motivated British actor James D’Arcy (Dunkirk, Avengers: Endgame) to make his writing and directing debut? In my imaginary scenario, a friend declares “Italy is indeed a beautiful country but you could never make a movie that merely coasts on its scenery.” “I […]
Summerland
I like surprises. Particularly when a movie exceeds my expectations. Summerland is one of those films. I am a big fan of British period dramas. I admit I was already primed to enjoy this but I must’ve had my expectations set low. I figured I was getting a pleasant period piece set against the backdrop […]
An American Pickle
So I did laugh during An American Pickle. The saga concerns Herschel Greenbaum, A struggling Jewish laborer who emigrates from Schlupke, Poland to New York in 1920 with hopes of building a better life. He gets a menial job at a factory and accidentally falls into a vat of pickles. Apparently, no one realizes this […]
Yes, God, Yes
“Guys are like microwave ovens and ladies are like conventional ovens. Guys just need a few seconds, like a microwave, to get switched on, while ladies typically need to preheat for a while.” So says Father Murphy (Timothy Simons) as he addresses a class of high schoolers in their morality class. I had 8 years […]
She Dies Tomorrow
Not one feature in 2020 was inspired by the COVID‑19 pandemic. After all, movies this year were made well before our current situation. Oh, I’m sure at some point in the future a ton of releases will be directly influenced by our dystopian state of affairs. Nevertheless, that hasn’t stopped us critics to carelessly reinterpret […]