Michael I’m a child of the 80s and back then you couldn’t help but be exposed to (and in my case, be in awe of) Michael Jackson. The man was a global superstar. To put that into context, I grew up on a rock in the middle of the ocean and even without American media, I knew his songs. Look, I wanted to hate this movie, but I just couldn’t. Is Michael a perfect movie? No. Does it have...
Speed Racer The Wachowskis aren’t one-hit wonders, but they do have a questionable success-rate. I think their movies don’t always pass the test of time. Speed Racer is an odd one, at that. It was a bomb and probably made Hollywood happy to have revoked their blank check after The Invasion: a move I had no idea existed. Still, this movie has kind of gained cult status since its failure. That’s always cooler than being a success…because test of...
Boogie Nights Allow me to coin a terrible phrase. Paul Thomas Anderson is a “written-in” artist for me. Anything he does, I think, is worth watching. The opposite of course, being the “written-off” artist whose work I’ll actively avoid. Like, say, Christopher Nolan. It’s nothing personal, it’s just that some people’s work I feel like I can connect with more. I just reviewed One Battle After Another and found it kind of lackluster, but still somewhat interesting. How does...
Blazing Saddles Did any 90s kid not love Robin Hood Men in Tights? I know it’s not considered Mel Brooks’ greatest film, but it’s certainly not his worst. In fact, now that he’s active again, there’s a whole new opportunity for him to ruin his legacy. He’s off to a great start with History of the World Part II. Up next on the chopping block is Spaceballs! I think Young Frankenstein is considered his best movie, and I agree....
One Battle After Another Boy, this is a tough one, but what better time than awards season when everyone is just going gaga over this to talk about it. I love PTA. I love him a lot, actually. Especially when you consider Phantom Thread and There Will Be Blood. His movies might not all be my cup of tea, but they’re definitely compelling and strange. Like a David Lynch movie that’s more grounded in reality. You can follow what you’re...
A Nightmare on Elm Street 7-Film Collection Horror movies are tricky, aren’t they? I mean, they shouldn’t be. Why would a genre be tricky? I’ll tell you why. Because most horror movies aren’t scary. They’re either dumb or dependent on jump cuts. At least lately they are. Don’t believe me? Just look at Midsommar (dumb), Sinners (dumb), or Malevolent (jump cuts but also really dumb). What’s really scary is a smart script. Ironically, it’s what horror movies nowadays are also...
Jurassic World: Rebirth Life is full of surprises, and you gotta be open to letting them happen. That breakfast sandwich you never cared for can somehow suddenly hit the spot. That album you never understood can suddenly resonate. My Hollywood surprise of the year is Jurassic World: Rebirth. The Jurassic Park IP has been squalid for decades. The best it could do was that Chris Pratt meme where he holds his hands open towards the raptors. What was he...
Sinners I can’t help but blame myself for watching these kinds of movies. And by “these movies” I mean movies that are highly acclaimed, and I don’t do my homework to figure out where my expectations should be. I’m so disappointed in this movie, but who I really should be disappointed in is myself. Do I even have the energy for a “long” review about Sinners? Let me start rambling and see where it takes me. Sinners was the...
Sean ConneryJames Bond 0076-Film Collection Life’s always interesting when you’re married to a feminist. You have to pick your battles, you know? One of them was the battle of whether or not we could watch James Bon movies in the household. The feedback I got was that we weren’t. I wasn’t going to fight that battle because I knew it was only a matter of time before my wife (ahem…partner) would change their mind…as they often do about most...
A Minecraft Movie I’m a fan of Jared Hess and his Napoleon Dynamite and Nacho Libre movies. Yes, they’re polarizing, but there’s a sense of G-rated fun that comes with them. Also, they’ve given us some pretty memorable characters. But, remember when the Minecraft Movie trailer came out and people were super upset at Jack Black? Probably because he was playing “the Jack Black character” which, again, is polarizing. I like him too (and his band) and didn’t expect people...