If the façade of Christopher Nolan’s “Dark Knight” trilogy was inspired by Michael Mann’s “Heat,” then Matt Reeves’ “The Batman” is influenced by David Fincher’s “Seven.” Why do we need another Batman film? We don’t, but Reeves (“Cloverfield,” “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes”) gives us a version we haven’t seen before. “The Batman” […]
The Fantastic Beasts sequel is not as good as the first one (imagine that) and this prequel, which occurs 70 or so years before Harry Potter, is just not as captivating overall. Director David Yates returns to the wizarding world yet again with Rowling on screenwriting. The Crimes of Grindelwald suffers from a variety of
Here we are again, talking about another young adult film, desperate to fill the void of Hunger Games or Divergent. Just like I said a month about The Darkest Minds, these movies are so intent on becoming a blockbuster franchise, they sacrifice creativity for breadcrumb set up. Kin is from director brothers Jonathan and Josh
As a reasonable human being, I don’t condone alcohol abuse, illegal drug use, or murder. Rough Night, the new film from writer/director Lucia Aniello promotes all of these things, and asks the audience to laugh at them. It’s curious that someone like Scarlett Johansson who stands up at the DNC and speaks so whole heartily
The humanization of Batman (Arnett) turns out to be very funny with glitzy animation and some substance to the message. As evidenced by audience reaction at the screening, those familiar with DC comics will get many references that fly past those of us who are uninformed. But even for those unfamiliar with all the Batman
Autopilot, that’s not just what Tris (Woodley) uses when she steals a flying machine from the new villain of the series. It’s also what happens when these teen-based, sci-fi fantasy saga’s make so much money, that the creativity fly’s out the window the exact same time the money pours in. For those who haven’t read
Up-and-coming filmmaker Rick Famuyiwa’s Dope is a clever, well written, and directed picture with a fine cast and a plot that is complex and engaging enough to keep the audience pulled right in. Television and film (Joyful Noise) star Shameik Moore as Malcolm nails his character, a young black high school nerd with a high crew cut (I
After his Truman Show script and the direction he took with Gattaca, writer/director Andrew Niccol was poised to be one of the biggest innovators in modern film. Everything after Gattaca was a disappointment from Simone, Lord of War and more recently The Host. Good Kill reteams the New Zealand filmmaker with Ethan Hawke and with
“Fury Road” is one of the most explosive, rewarding, and action-packed films of the summer, and yet it isn’t because it manages to pull off the type of suspenseful car chase “Fast & Furious” will never understand. Nor is it simply because writer/director George Miller (1979’s “Mad Max”) understands that a reinvention is better than
For the second weekend in a row, a female lead film topped the American box office. Insurgent, the sequel to the box office hit Divergent, picks up right where it left off. Adding a host of new characters including Oscar winner Octavia Spencer (Snowpiercer, The Help) and Oscar nominee Naomi Watts (Birdman, The Impossible), the