Danny Boyle is a master filmmaker who has never quite received the accolades he deserves, while also never really achieving the level of mastery he’s capable of, like Scorsese or Kubrick. While his films like 1996’s “Trainspotting” changed how drug movies were made and 2002’s “28 Days Later” redefined zombies forever, it wasn’t until 2008’s […]
Film
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Feel Bad Inc
An A24 double feature
I can count on one hand the number of times a corporate production company/distributor logo excited me for whatever film they were releasing. As a kid, if New Line Cinema had their logo in front of a horror movie, I was there for it (they get a lifetime pass from me for “Evil Dead,” “Nightmare on […]
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Aesthetically Idiosyncratic Existentialism
The Phoenician Scheme is Wes Anderson at his most playful.
I‘m tired of apologizing for my love of the films of Wes Anderson. Here’s my hard line: I don’t begrudge anyone who doesn’t like Anderson’s movies. The combination of quirk, whimsy, intricate sets, obsessive symmetry, bright color palette and hyper-specific aesthetic isn’t for everyone, and nor should it be. BUT, where I do take issue […]
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The Next “Barbenheimer?"
Can “Stitch-ion: Impossible” be the next cultural juggernaut?
While I wouldn’t completely give them all the credit, the simultaneous release of “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” on July 21, 2023, did a lot to revive interest in returning to the movie theater. While the movies were both critically and financially successful, it wasn’t wholly the films themselves that generated so much excitement; rather, it was […]
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Strangers, Cheerleaders & Lovers
A few under-seen queer movies to celebrate for Pride
Happy Pride, everyone! While there have been amazing queer films being produced for the last several decades, Hollywood still doesn’t promote them with as much effort as they should unless they think there’s a chance for the film to win awards or make a lot of money. So many incredible LGBTQIA2S+ films completely miss audiences […]
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Death and Log Trucks
Final Destination: Bloodlines breathes life into a dormant franchise
I watch so many movies. Like, if you knew the sheer amount of film I consume weekly, you would wonder if I ever sleep or just slip into rest mode for a few minutes here and there so I can keep filling my brain with high-brow art, low-brow schlock and everything in between. Because of […]
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May theatrical roundup
Planes, Cage and a Really Good Boy
Cinema is robust enough to feel almost limitless as an art form. Although movies are nearly 130 years old, a few filmmakers continue to push the medium forward every year, finding innovative and groundbreaking new ways to tell stories. While it’s rare to come across a film that feels wholly singular, I still find joy […]
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Not-So-Superheroes
The Thunderbolts* is a return to what made the MCU special
It’s no secret that the Marvel Cinematic Universe has been struggling lately. Post-“Endgame,” the MCU has fumbled extensively with telling stories in their intricately interconnected universe, while films like “The Marvels,” “Ant-Man & The Wasp: Quantumania” and “Captain America: Brave New World” didn’t come close to reaching their projected grosses (which was still more than […]
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Superheroes, Impossible Missions and Dinosaurs…It Must Be a Summer Movie Preview!!
Cautious optimism for a dancer, zombies and Jurassic magic
With the release last week of the Michael B. Jordan/Ryan Coogler instant classic “Sinners,” we have officially entered the 2025 summer season of movies. Just like every year, May through July, we’re going to get a few fun but stupid ones, some awkwardly terrible ones, then hopefully one or two that stand the test of […]
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High Stakes
"Sinners" is a sweaty, bluesy, bloody classic
When people who write about movies for a living come across a piece of cinema that feels monumental, there is always a list of specific words that get used to describe it. Words like “visionary,” “electrifying,” “exhilarating,” “transcendent,” and “breathtaking” get thrown around with abandon (by myself included) to describe much lesser films than Ryan […]
