At one point in “12 Strong”, Michael Shannon’s character says, “It’s a hell of a thing we do. How do you leave your family and go to war?” It’s an honest, but simplistic line – and that kind of sums up this well-intentioned but all too familiar film. “12 Strong” tells the true, declassified story […]
“Star Wars: The Last Jedi” is the 8th installment in the core “Star Wars” saga – directly following 2015’s juggernaut reboot “The Force Awakens”, which featured the return of Harrison Ford’s Han Solo. Ford added some energy and fun to this latest trilogy. But Han’s gone (and that certainly isn’t a spoiler by now), so […]
Pixar’s latest animated film, “Coco”, is about the traditional Mexican holiday The Day of the Dead. Three years ago there was another animated film about this holiday – “The Book of Life”. So the challenge for Pixar was to take a different perspective on it, but stay true to the culture and live-up to the […]
Chris Hemsworth is a likable, charismatic actor, but his Thor, from the start, has been the dullest, most uninteresting character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The God of Thunder was in need of a re-vamp, and “Thor: Ragnarok” is that film, though the makeover is only a partial success. This 3rd Thor solo movie gets […]
“Suburbicon” is George Clooney’s sixth directorial feature. He and frequent collaborator Grant Heslov also co-wrote the script, originally penned by the Coen Brothers way back in 1986. Of course, Coen Bros. material is usually quirky and “out there”, and “Suburbicon” is no exception. This is a peculiar, somewhat thought-provoking, but ultimately thin film. The setting […]
We’ve all seen video of the horrific wildfires going on right now in California – and some of you have experienced the destruction up close. A new film, based on the true story of one group of wildland firefighters, is out in theaters this week. “Only the Brave” is the story of the real-life Prescott, […]
I was worried that two LEGO movies released in the same year might be overkill. “The LEGO Batman Movie”, released back in February, is the spinoff to 2014’s groundbreaking and innovative “The LEGO Movie”. This tale of the miniature Caped Crusader is still the best animated film of 2017. It’s smart and sharp, with a […]
“Inhumans” was originally slated to be a feature film – part of Phase Three of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. However, last November, Marvel announced they would be shifting directions, with an 8-episode “Inhumans” miniseries event set for ABC’s Fall 2017 lineup. In March, Marvel and ABC revealed that they would be debuting 75 minutes of […]
Charlize Theron has kicked some serious butt in action movies throughout her career, including “Aeon Flux”, “Hancock”, “Snow White & the Huntsman” (and its much-less entertaining spin-off) and most recently “The Fate of the Furious”. And diehard fans of “Mad Max: Fury Road” haven’t stopped drooling over her work in that reboot since it was […]
Animated movies have explored the origins, lives and adventures of Smurfs, Trolls, LEGOs and toys of all kinds. Now Sony Pictures Animation pulls back the curtain (or, really, the wallpaper) on the tiny little characters who live in our cell phones. In July 2015, Sony won the bidding war with Paramount and WB for the […]