There’s a reason Kenneth Turan of the Los Angeles Times placed Ford v Ferrari as his top film of 2019: It is a refreshingly uncontrived look at male camaraderie, and it revitalizes the sports movie genre, even if you have a low motorsports IQ. Yes, there are several mentionings of 427-cubic-inch big-block engines, GT40 acronyms,... Continue Reading →
The Lighthouse Madness
Two grown men are stranded on a remote island with flatulence abound. This is not going to be a popular mainstream movie. Add black and white photography, an alien dialect of 1890s New England, and the claustrophobia of a shoddy lighthouse, most Marvel Comic Universe fanatics will tear their hair out. For me, The Lighthouse... Continue Reading →
It Chapter Two Missing the Shadows **1/2
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 →
3 Months a Blogger and Grateful
Some people have a writer in them they need to let out. Some write about fly fishing. There's a nice man I follow who writes about his latest barbecue chicken rub. I do movies. A good majority of bloggers choose to write about movies too. Some write well. Some try well. I'd like to think... Continue Reading →
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
I realize I'm alone in the (Marvel) universe when I say I’m not a fan of the tiresome outburst of comic book/superhero movies, and I see no point in differentiating the two descriptors because they, more or less, follow the same tiresome formula: Arrogant hero + desensitizing CGI +/- obligatory love interest + forgettable villain... Continue Reading →
How I Rate the Movies
Rating movies couldn't be any more subjective, personal, and inconsistent. One thing is for sure - a "great" movie doesn't necessarily mean it's a "favorite" movie. I mean, my favorite bad movie is Weekend at Bernie's (for obvious reasons), but I won't be seeing the great Gone with the Wind again because it will take... Continue Reading →
A Cult Theme Gone Sour in Midsommar
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 →
Behind the Curve (2018) ****
The content (people who still actually believe the earth is flat) may be more fascinating than its basic execution, but this doc succeeds by not judging its subjects and simply hitting the record button. The “flat-earthers” kind of just do their thing, and we might roll our eyes as much as feel sorry for them.... Continue Reading →
Hotel Mumbai (2019) **
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 →