Author Archive
Film Review – Alpha
Alpha (2018) taps into that age-old truth: dogs are man’s best friend. Who doesn’t love dogs? They’re the most affectionate of all pets, and they have the innate ability to sense what you’re feeling and to react in a comforting manner. No offense to cats…
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An Appreciation – Drunken Master 2
My earliest memory of Drunken Master 2 (1994, released in the U.S. as The Legend of Drunken Master) came from a friend who purchased a bootleg VHS copy at a local swap meet. As kids, we were already fans of Jackie Chan before he made…
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Film Review – The Darkest Minds
Another day, another Y.A. adaptation. The Darkest Minds (2018) highlights something I’ve found increasingly troubling with Y.A. novels brought to the big screen: future adults hate kids. In The Hunger Games series, kids are randomly chosen to participate in a murder contest as a form…
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Film Review – Mission: Impossible – Fallout
Mission: Impossible – Fallout (2018) is the best entry into the Mission: Impossible series and is the best action film since Mad Max: Fury Road (2015). Throughout this latest adventure, we hear super agent Ethan Hunt utter the phrase, “I won’t let you down.” While…
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An Appreciation – Jaws
“You’re gonna need a bigger boat” Here is the moment that would forever change how movies are made, marketed, and watched. It’s hard to fathom – all these decades later – how much of an impact Jaws (1975) would have in popular culture. With its…
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Film Review – Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again
I’ll start off this review with something positive. Walking out of Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again (2018) – the aptly titled sequel to the musical Mamma Mia! (2008) – I saw plenty of people with smiles on their faces. They had a bounce to…
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Film Review – Skyscraper
Duct tape plays a prominent role throughout Skyscraper (2018). When Dwayne Johnson’s character suffers a brutal gash from shrapnel, he closes the wound off by wrapping it in tape. When he has to scale the side of a three thousand foot tall building, he wraps…
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Film Review – Sicario: Day of the Soldado
Sicario (2015) was a masterful thriller made in a post 9/11 world. With Denis Villeneuve’s keen direction, Taylor Sheridan’s focused writing, and Roger Deakins’ impeccable cinematography, the film was a white-knuckled suspense ride. It examined the blurred lines of morality, where characters compromised their beliefs…
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