Before we begin, I wanted to get take a minute to mention the real-life Quileute tribe whose culture was an inspiration for the show. While the films brought attention to the real-life town of Forks, Washington, the tribe hasn't seen the same benefit. And with that, I want to promote the Quileute Move to Higher... Continue Reading →
Every once in a while, Netflix will drop a little film with a star-studded cast that will either hit it out of the park, or be a terrible waste. "The Devil All the Time," which stars Tom Holland, Sebastian Stan, Robert Pattinson, Jason Clarke and more, falls somewhere in between. The film is essentially the... Continue Reading →
Early this year, I reviewed Director McG's crass horror comedy (horomedy?) "The Babysitter," which starred Judah Lewis as a middle school student who must evade his babysitter, Bee (Samara Weaving), and her teenaged friends, who are part of a demonic cult and want to sacrifice him. It was a simple, shlocky film, whose main point was to... Continue Reading →
By any account, Harold Ramis' 1993 film "Groundhog Day" is an absolute classic, containing not only a unique concept, but a great performance by Bill Murray. But its concept — in which a main character (or characters) live one day over and over again until they break free of the time loop, had much room... Continue Reading →
2017's "The Cured," now available to stream on Hulu, reminds me a whole lot of the BBC show "In The Flesh," which I enjoyed when I wasn't watching "Doctor Who," "Orphan Black" and "Merlin" back in the day, and indeed, it has a similar premise. Like "In The Flesh," "The Cured" portrays a world that... Continue Reading →
Not many successful musical comedies exist on film, and that's because both genres must strike a precarious balance. "Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga", a Netflix film that was partially funded by the Icelandic government merges a very average Will Ferrell comedy with legitimately good music numbers through the vehicle of the Eurovision Song Contest. As such,... Continue Reading →
It's difficult to convert a best-selling young adult children's book into a great film. "Percy Jackson", "The Spiderwick Chronicles" and "The Chronicles of Narnia" are just some examples of YA novel-inspired film series that did so with initial success, before fizzling out. What is remarkable with the "Harry Potter", "Twilight" and "The Hunger Games" film franchises... Continue Reading →
Ten years ago, J.K. Rowling was the gold standard for young adult literature, and her accomplished "Harry Potter" novel series might be the best YA series of novels of all time. Her books were so popular, for a brief time, she got kids interested in reading amid the technological revolutions of the late 90s and early... Continue Reading →
2019 was an interesting year for comic book based shows and movies, from big title blockbusters like "Avengers: Endgame" and "Joker" to originally lesser-known independent titles that became sleeper hits like "The Boys" and "The Umbrella Academy." Some were great, some were good, some I’m partial to and finally, we have those that I feel... Continue Reading →
Nintendo fans everywhere rejoiced as Nintendo big wig Masahiro Sakurai graced the audience with his presence in last week's Smash Direct. The hardworking director of the soon-to-be monstrous hit "Smash Ultimate" planned the Direct out three days ahead of time, and the hype that went into the momentous event wasn't just well justified: it was... Continue Reading →
Here we go again. When I first saw that subtitle for the new “Mamma Mia!” film, I read it with some contempt. Memories of Pierce Brosnan and pre-"Into The Woods" Meryl Streep singing plagued my memories, and I couldn't sleep. I put “Mamma Mia!” 2 on my most anticipated summer movies list only because I... Continue Reading →
"Man of Steel" disappointed. "Batman v. Superman" bombed in a spectacular fashion. "Suicide Squad" bombed. "Wonder Woman" was genuinely good. And "Justice League" was just ok. And now we have "Aquaman." Oh, Aquaman. "My man!" as Jason Momoa's bafoonish testosterone-induced version of the character would say. But you're not my man. You're no one's man.... Continue Reading →
One of the things I was taught in school to be wary of was absolutism, and it was good advice. Absolutism is all around us and it is only fueled by the online world, especially in the world of politics, and it can be extremely dangerous, and can inflict dire consequences. In many ways, I... Continue Reading →
Journalists regularly face grave danger, especially overseas in war zones, and in countries where the government does not respect freedom of the press. The very nature of the craft, which shines light on corruption, afflicting the comfortable and comforting the afflicted, often times puts journalists at odds with very dangerous people. I am sad to... Continue Reading →
InReview: Reviews, Commentary and More 