As has been and forever will be, filmmaking is more alchemy than chemistry. The Laundromat is proof. A hugely important and underserviced subject (the Panama Papers) gets tackled by one of the best modern directors (Steven Soderbergh) and arguably the greatest actress of all time (Meryl Streep). Yet, somehow, the end result is just-ever-so-barely on […]
The original Zombieland, which accounts for 67% of TNT’s daily programming, was a breezy romp elevated by oddly dynamic chemistry and nuggets of cleverness. The odds against replicating said chemistry-enhanced breeziness and clever nuggs kept them from attempting a follow-up for around a decade. But the bible says even Jesus will one day get a […]
First and foremost, it’s nice to see Henry Cavill’s poorly CGI-ed upper lip from Justice League get more work! Seriously, how does a movie that hinges entirely on a de-aging special effect—which we’ve seen done incredibly well as recently as this year’s Captain Marvel—do such a profoundly bad job at that one specific thing? Cramming […]
Ryan’s too nice. Thanks to his noble dedication to inclusive conversations about film, his Joker review is professional and respectful. However, I’m a hideous creature of spite. Joker has crossed me, and now I must make an example of it…on the interwebs! Since I 100% agree with Ryan’s review, you won’t mind if I skip […]
Watching an emaciated creeper do several “kooky underpants dances” is definitely somebody’s idea of a good time. It is just not mine. Joker isn’t quite the incel love letter I feared. Instead, it is mostly a cliched bore with a final act that validates dangerous psychopathological misperceptions of reality. Because clearly what we need right […]
At some point, we’ve all asked ourselves “How do I follow up my debut, coming-of-age, feminist cannibal movie?” The only one of us who has an answer is Julia Ducournau, and she’s not telling. Ducournau’s Raw had an insanely unique spin on the tired “Hey, remember how much growing up sucked?” genre. Her new film, […]
Back when humans would have to actually walk through stores and physically touch copies of the movies they wanted to watch, only six genres were acknowledged: Comedy, Drama, Action, Foreign, Kids and Sci-Fi/Fantasy/Horror/Whatever-Else-You-Weird-Nerds-Like. Some video stores had a seventh genre, and legends were told of youths who dared enter the Adult section. Netflix-ization has gone […]
A Walt Disney fairy tale about El Chapo told through the language of Gabriel García Márquez and visually painted as if guided by Frida Kahlo’s hand, Tigers Are Not Afraid is some kind of special. Writer/director Issa López obliterates genre boundaries to tell a story about the globally ignored collateral damage of cartel violence: orphaned […]
SNL, which allegedly does “comedy” when not hiring and firing racists, once had a sketch that started “You’re watching ESPN Classic. Come on, man. Spend some time with your kids…” Ad Astra shows just how far some toxically masculine daddies will go to neglect paternal responsibilities: Neptune. Not quite as sophisticated as it thinks itself, […]
Although I appreciate Ryan’s initial poo-pooing of It: Chapter 2, this painfully plotless 3-hour behemoth that’s awkwardly reliant on Michael Bay-style CGI destruction has plenty of spoilers that are worth poo-pooing, too! It: Chapter 2 is a special kind of “bad” for a lot of reasons they couldn’t show you in the trailers. The epic […]
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