Hello, Dankness (2023)
The value of experimental filmmaking is in challenging [...]
Action
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (2023)
You walk into Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny with two realities in mind: 1.) It will never match the thrill of Raiders, Temple of Doom or Last Crusade, and 2.) It just has to be better than Crystal Skull. Both assumptions are correct. This is about as middle-of-the-road as an Indiana Jones movie can be while still being […]
The Flash (2023)
I suspect that my enjoyment of The Flash might have come from my willingness to clear out all the pre-show muck. How you respond to this movie is largely a by-product of what you take with you. Are you willing to overlook Ezra Miller’s personal issues? Are you willing to overlook the film’s overuse of […]
The Mother (2023)
Just in time for Mother’s Day, Netflix releases Niki Caro’s Lion-Mom action picture The Mother, which is about an unfussy and unchallenging as an expensive, high-gloss paint-by-numbers action movie can get. Its an odd choice from a director previously responsible for more cerebral fare like Whale Rider and North Country. The Mother stars Jennifer Lopez […]
Black Adam (2022)
Black Adam is a bit much, even as far as these brobdinagian CG-heavy superhero movies go. With only fleeting bits of charm from star Dwayne Johnson, this is yet another over-produced bulk that reaffirms the timidity of current studio-driven product. It’s expensive, with lots of light and color and sound, but at its center it […]
Interceptor (2022)
Netflix action thriller Interceptor t is a movie that just needs to calm down for a second, take a breath and start over. Matthew Reilly’s debut feature throws so much at you so fast that you feel overwhelmed in the first 10 minutes and that is not to positive effect. This is an action movie that takes […]
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022)
I don’t know, I guess I expected something else from Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Even as many fans and critics around me seem to be cooling on this whole MCU business – this is the 28th film – I have steadfastly remained loyal (although “Moonknight” did test my limits). What disappoints me about […]
All the Old Knives (2022)
Amazon Prime, what are you doing? 2002 nostalgia? Is that what this is? All the Old Knives employs all the old post-9/11 hack-fried government paranoia and disorientation. A little “24” here, a little Bourne Identity there, fused with the kinds of clip-editing, ominous music and who-do-you trust aesthetics that have padded Liam Neeson’s post-Taken career. […]
Agent Game (2022)
As a matter of personal policy, I make it a rule never to drag an actor’s personal issues into their latest work. Yet, I shamefully admit that I found myself involuntarily (and admittedly humorously) wincing during the pre-credit sequence of Agent Game in which Mel Gibson tells his unseen radio cohort: “We may have a problem.” […]
