Dedicated to movie nerdom, nostalgia, and escape. In the late 90s, I worked at Blockbuster Video where they let me take home two free movies a day. I caught up on the classics and reviewed theatrical releases for Denver 'burbs newspapers and magazines. Today, while raising two young, beautiful daughters with my amazing wife, I look forward to anything rated R and not Bluey. Comments and dialogue encouraged!
Is it a mystical origin story about the Delta Blues a la Robert Johnson selling his soul at a crossroads? Unfortunately, no. How about a diabolical feud between African American spirituals and Irish folksongs and their evolutionary ties to the Devil? Nope. Think From Dusk Till Dawn (1996) disguised in Jim Crow Mississippi—45 minutes of promising setup... Continue Reading →
I stopped taking the Oscars seriously in 1999 when Steven Spielberg won Best Director, but his epic Saving Private Ryan did not win Best Picture. Wouldn’t the “Best” Director have directed the “Best” Picture? No, the forgettable, Harvey Weinstein-produced Shakespeare in Love took the glory, and you can now find DVD copies of it near... Continue Reading →
Look, I’m an avid fan of Charlie Kaufman’s earlier work, and I still go back to Being John Malkovich (1999) and marvel at its masterfully crafted revelations—both psychological and humorous. Kaufman’s Gedankenexperiments are gold to the likes of the motion picture medium and the viewer who dabbles in Kafka and enjoys imagining things under a... Continue Reading →
I'm a cinematic traditionalist and rival to today's overuse of CGI and all the disbelief it forces us to suspend when we really know we’re looking at unnatural pixels on a screen. The George Lucas-derived, Michael Bay-exploited “video game movie” bores me to visual fatigue, and I'll never forget when Rogue One: A Star Wars... Continue Reading →
While attempting a chic perspective on progressive egotism and its hopeful resolve to humility, Challengers pleasures itself with unbridled Gen-Z horniness. The outcome is both refreshing and monotonous, like Luca Guadagnino's style-before-substance directing and superfluous timeline toying. There’s a sports movie in here too, but that mainly consists of flash cuts, closeups, and occasional lines... Continue Reading →
Before I share my Top Ten of 2022 next week, I thought it might be fun to dish out my least favorite experiences watching movies this year. Like an expired carton of milk, the nausea of the flu during Thanksgiving break, or the wretched shrieking of a toddler, bad movies do exist, and they can... Continue Reading →
They say the book is better, and most of the time, they are right. It's nearly impossible to replicate the visions, time lapses, and shadows one conjures while reading a good book, especially the masterful horror fiction of Stephen King. The shadows are the most important element, I think. In the midst of reading and... Continue Reading →
Like milk, everything has an expiration date. I’m not sure which one started the rotting process—The Endless, Hereditary, Wild Wild Country, Us, Apostle—but, the cult-themed movie is starting to smell. Even Tarantino has Charles Manson ready to open on July 26, but I think he might be a subplot and can stay in the fridge... Continue Reading →
Hotel Mumbai is a brutally intense terrorist thriller based on the true and tragic murders of 174 innocent people in 2008, and if that’s your cup of tea, then I think you’ll be entertained. Personally, I was just reminded of a disgusting act of violence in our sad worldly history, and the Hollywood-esque touches didn’t... Continue Reading →
Reely Bernie 