When brilliant British (and Australian) filmmakers who cut their teeth in comedy are given somewhat free reign to tell stories on a larger scale, we get beautiful things. And so many of the new guard of British writers and directors come from goofy and humble beginnings. I don’t think this is a secret, but “Paddington” […]
Film
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Marvel, Marvel, Everywhere!
Thor, phase four and what’s in store
I get it. Everyone has superhero fatigue now, because between Marvel, Disney and DC, we get two dozen comic book movies a year with only a small handful of them being any good. Marvel is also struggling a bit critically right now because they don’t really seem to be building toward anything so far with […]
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May the Source Be With You
July edition: "Star Wars," Sympathy Pains and "Stranger Things"
It’s been hot outside, but it’s also raining a lot with thunderstorms and massive lightning attacks happening all willy nilly. It has become downright unpredictable around here in Central Oregon and I’m here for it. I like having to check the weather before walking out into the world; it makes me feel like I’m living […]
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Creepy Phone Home
Ethan Hawke creates a memorable new monster in "The Black Phone"
Horror movies have always been the redheaded stepchild of the motion picture industry. It’s funny because they’ve always made lots of money and stayed popular with audiences (even through the Great Depression), but as a genre they’ve never really gotten the respect they’ve deserved. In fact, it’s one of the few genres you can just […]
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Their Life Before
A mediocre white man’s look at Black cinema
In celebration of this year’s Juneteenth, I thought it might be nice to talk about some seminal movies from black filmmakers that didn’t get heralded in the same way some inferior and exploitative ones get spoken about. Every few years Hollywood gushes over one or two black-led films like “Moonlight,” “12 Years a Slave” or […]
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To Infinity, Not Quite Beyond
“Lightyear,” Pixar’s newest animated adventure, has to have one of the strangest and most meta ideas for a children’s movie of all time. If you’ve seen a trailer, you know that the Buzz Lightyear from this new film is not the toy from the “Toy Story” films voiced by Tim Allen. Instead, Buzz is an […]
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Burgers, Bodies, Bad Guys and Beauty
There’s something playing for everyone in this four-pack
of movie reviews
I just watched four entirely disparate films, and because of that I can’t imagine a better time to check in on the current state of movies. This last weekend I went to an animated family film, a new body horror film by the reigning master of the genre, a gentle French drama about motherhood and disturbing […]
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May the Source Be With You: Night Vale, Finales and Running Up That Hill
June’s Edition of things for your eyes and ears
I think there’s a little trend that might be changing for the better when it comes to shows and podcasts right now. One of the running clichรฉs about television is that the longer a show is going, the worse it progressively gets. There are very few shows going back decades that people think either got […]
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Cruise Rides Into the Danger Zone
‘Top Gun: Maverick’ improves on the original in every way
It finally happened, for the first time in years. It was perfect. It’s opening night of “Top Gun: Maverick,” the sequel to a 36-year-old movie that is mostly loved today for nostalgic or ironic reasons. The new “Top Gun” should be terrible, a jingoistic Tom Cruise vehicle that is only good for a few forgettable […]
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Cold Theater Summer
Blockbuster season arrives (again!)
Is time passing more quickly or is that just a cliche for those of us thickly stuck in the midst of a mid-life crisis? All I know is that it feels like the Summer Movie Season was just here, and now we’re already diving deep into another one just as theaters are seeming to be […]
