The VVitch I knew when I first watched the Witch that I was watching something special. A feeling similar to when I watched Mandy. There’s something to the feel and mood of the Witch that just immediately latches onto you. So often do we fall victim to the hyperbolic praise of movies that we forget that it’s what WE think that matters. It reminds me of the buzz surrounding Hereditary. It was already being lauded as the scariest...
Aquaman Pity poor DC. In the superhero movie rivalry they’ve continuously been getting the short end of the stick. Sure, they’ve made some stinkers, but hasn’t Marvel as well? When you actually think about it, every superhero movie has been a success because every superhero movie has made a gazillion dollars worldwide. Marketing-wise it just seems like Marvel has won the brainwashing brand loyalty battle. They’re like Apple. We’re supposed to eagerly anticipate new product and are unable...
The Big Lebowski 20th Anniversary Limited Edition In my old age, there are but a few joys left in my life. My afternoon coffee is one. My time alone in the toilet is another. But another joy of mine is getting to talk to you about the Big Lebowski. The Big Lebowski is a movie that’s important because it transcends. It’s a movie that’s appreciated both by college jocks, to female bookworms, to college professors, to budding youths, to...
Predator 3-Movie Collection I remember a time when Predator was not just a scary movie but also a cool one. It had all the right ingredients: military heroes, Arnold Schwarzenegger, a contra-like scenario, aliens, cool visual tech, and a squid-like monster with what clearly were supposed to represent dreadlocks. It also gave us a cool shot of muscled arms clutching each other. The backdrop of Predator is very simple both in setting and colors: a claustrophobic jungle...
Jurassic Park Collection The word gets thrown around a lot but that first Jurassic Park movie is nothing short of iconic. It might be the last Old Hollywood movie ever made. Or maybe it’s the movie that kicked Old Hollywood in the pants. It was so ubiquitous that it made it to my little island of Aruba and we lined up to get into the drive in theatre, as the movie was already playing, and I was trying to...
Mission Impossible Anthology Say what you will about Tom Cruise (go ahead, say it), but the man knows his way around an action movie. And he’s known for decades. Yes, he’s fallen from grace in the mainstream over the years, but that phenomenon is probably just American. It makes sense that when Paul F Tompkins met him, he referred to him as “the most famous person in the world.” And whether the movie script is garbage or...
Die Hard 30th Anniversary I care less about how Die Hard is a Christmas movie and more about how Die Hard is a good movie. I don’t think that gets talked about enough these days. Sure, I like going to showings at my local art theatre around Christmas time, but Die Hard probably should be appreciated for being much more than that: for all the things it gets right and its staying power. My attraction to Die Hard...
A Quiet Place I love a good success story. Especially one that gives credit where it’s due. There’s no denying that A Quiet Place has been a resounding success at the box office. It’s made over $300 million worldwide with a “measly” budget of “just” $20 million. Well done, Mr. Krasinski. Of course, we have to be careful before we resoundingly applaud Hollywood, because plenty of garbage movies make a bundle of money. Just look at the Fast...
The Matrix I’m sure I speak for boys and girls everywhere when I say that, being in high school and seeing the Matrix for the first time in theatres changed my life forever. Also, I should note that I grew up on a tiny island in the Caribbean where even movie theatres were a novel thing. To say that my friends and I’s minds were completely blown away doesn’t quite describe it. I’ll always remember what one of...
Justice League In many ways, the DC movies never stood a chance. I don’t know what started this ever-increasing snowball of hatred towards their movies: maybe it was a lack of faith in its leader Zack Snyder, maybe it’s just brand loyalty to Marvel, or maybe the DC movies just got off to a bad start. Whatever the case, the DC universe is the franchise people seem to love to hate. And this, quite honestly, is a...