Lotta ins, lotta outs, lotta what-have-you's
This review contains mild spoilers for Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. If you haven't seen it yet, sorry not sorry. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is Disney and Lucasfilm’s first entry into the promised slate of Star Wars spin-off films, which will eventually include stand-alones focusing on Han Solo and Boba Fett. Cribbed from … Continue reading Rogue One: A Star Wars Story – A First Step Into a Larger World
I was discussing HBO’s Westworld with my college buddy, Kevin, when he mentioned that he had never seen Blade Runner. In general, he felt that he was lacking in the classic sci-fi filmic knowledge appropriate to a card-carrying nerd. To remedy this situation and to help him to expand his overall cinematic palate, I offered … Continue reading Picks for Kevin
Force Majeure is slow, uneventful, and thoroughly entertaining. Ruben Ostlund's arthouse black comedy is a disaster movie in which the disaster never actually materializes, leaving its characters to deal with a much bigger emotional catastrophe, to both dramatic and humorous results. It's pretty rare to find great foreign films on Netflix, so if you're looking … Continue reading Netflix Pick: Force Majeure
I saw the sci-fi mystery Midnight Special on a whim one Friday night, drawn in by an understated advertising campaign that didn't give much indication as to the film's plot. In a cinematic world dominated by sequels and adaptations, it's rare to go the theater without knowing fairly well what you're getting into, and even rarer … Continue reading Get Excited About Jeff Nichols
Finding Dory There's a moment in Finding Nemo when Dory explains her short-term memory loss: "I forget things almost instantly. It runs in my family. Well, at least I think it does. Hmm. Where are they?" A long pause follows, allowing us to wonder. If a sequel had to happen, this was the right story to … Continue reading Quick Takes: Finding Dory, X-Men: Apocalypse
For the discerning T.V. fan, “animated sitcom” isn’t necessarily a phrase that inspires confidence. The Simpsons is stale at twenty-six seasons, and not everyone delights in the gross-out sensibilities of Family Guy or the controversy-a-week approach of South Park. Given the rest of the roster, one might be tempted to lump Fox’s Bob’s Burgers in … Continue reading You Need To Watch Bob’s Burgers: 6 Episodes for the Uninitiated
Thoughts on The Jungle Book The Jungle Book is the latest giant-budget effort from a Disney machine hell-bent on remaking its entire back catalog of animated movies in live action. No one asked for this movie, but darned if it isn’t great. Director Jon Favreau resists the obvious pitfall of attempting translate an essentially whimsical story … Continue reading Quick Takes: The Jungle Book, Captain America: Civil War
