This is a really impressive juggling act.
I've got to give writer/director Greg Jardin massive props. At first I was a little apprehensive. I wonder why these characters were so broadly drawn. It put me off a little, but once Jardin starts spinning those plates all my preconceived notions went right over the balcony. I was glued to every caddy, backstabbing twist and turn.
It's not just the story that impressed me, it's how the story is told. It's complicated,…
-
It's What's Inside 2024
-
Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story 2024
I hope Will Reeve is hanging in there. The last remark he makes is heartbreaking, as is the whole documentary.
I know this is a bit of a puff piece that's designed to celebrate Christopher Reeve, but I get the feeling there wasn't much to hide. He seems like a genuinely good man who was a little rough around the edges going through a tough ordeal, who found a special someone who was willing to stand by his side. What… -
The Order 2024
The core of the story is pretty damn good. When this is our guy(Jude Law) hunting down a group of bank robbing white supremacists who aspire to be domestic terrorists, lead by Nicholas Holt, this delivers. But whenever a side character steps into the mix — the FBI agent, the new member, the wife and the pregnant girlfriend, and of course the put upon wife — they always seem uneasily stuffed in for thematic reasons or functionality. There's also a…
-
Sasquatch Sunset 2024
It can be funny. It can be fascinating. It can be moving. But, man, is it dull. Even though I admire many of it's qualities — like, I'm definitely downloading the score for sleepless nights — I can't pretend to be fully on board for this journey.
At points this is totally immersive, but there are too many esoteric choices being made that pull us right out of the story.
I'm cool with "funny," but the scatological humor repeatedly severs… -
Dead Trigger 2017
Sometimes there is a low that a cheap popcorn flick like this can reach that can make it somewhat entertaining. This doesn't hit those lows nearly enough. Although it was pretty funny to watch a scene where they spend five minutes trying to start a truck only to drive it five feet, I don't actually think it was meant to be funny.
There's a lot of ridiculous shit like that in Dead Trigger, but there's also not a lot going… -
White Sands 1992
This is so good for so long I was a little surprised by how much I'd forgotten about it. Sure enough, in the last stretch, this gets a little too twist-happy. All the double-crossing crosses the line and left this totally crossed out (of my mind).
The build up to what's ultimately disappointing is so much fun. This is pure pre-Pulp Fiction neo-noir, very reminiscent of the type of crime thrillers you find on Cinemax at that point in time.… -
Christmas Mail 2010
Snail mail.
All I wanted for Christmas Mail was for them to do something interesting with it's premise. Where's the magic? It's teased throughout, but they do almost nothing with it. Getting a pigeon to sit on your hand without it pooping on you doesn't count. Instead it's just a series of cutesy scenes and big smiles.
They do get the post office politics right, though. Upper management sucks! -
The Return 2024
I'm disappointed by how dry this is. There is no reason for it to be this long. Director Uberto Pasolini spends well over an hour repeating the same themes ad nauseum without expanding on them, with a supporting cast that would be better suited at playing football hooligans.
Not that Ralph Fiennes or Juliette Binoche are any better, but it doesn't seem to be their fault. It's so amateurishly made that even when things finally get exciting it's still a letdown. -
The Substitute 3: Winner Takes All 1999
I know history has show us that we should come to expect diminishing returns when it comes to straight-to-video sequels, but this one goes right off a cliff.
This time our substitute(Treat Williams) heads to college to teach 'Nam history in an English class, as he butt's heads with roided out football jocks that put the previous teacher in the hospital. Everything about the setup is unconvincing, but when the story opens up into something bigger it gets downright confusing.… -
One Hundred and One Dalmatians 1961
The first thing that strikes you is the animation. The sharp lines, the small details, and unique style always seems to pop. The music sets the mood. The love story is established in a perfectly executed sequence. The puppies are adorable, and bringing stillborn Lucky back is a nice touch that sets the up the life or death scenario. There's a real sense of danger.
This trio of baddies are full-blown evil, and Cruella is arguably the evilist, and best,… -
Nutcrackers 2024
I'm a massive fan of David Gordon Green's early indies, and there's a heavy dose of that indie spirit found within Nutcrackers. Yet some of those elements don't mesh well with Green's studio comedy sensibilities.
I don't know how to put this...
I really like Ben Stiller here. His character Mike is a decent person, he's just not a warm dude. He has his own life, and he knows jack about kids. He's pushed into a situation he's ill-prepared for.… -
Moana 2 2024
Looks like I'm a little higher on this than the rest of you in the same way I'm a little lower on the first one.
It's clear the new trio of directors are attempting to top the original by giving us more.
I'll give them credit, Moana 2 is visually breathtaking. I like to sit pretty close(the row behind the handicap seats in Dolby Atmos) to take it all in, but this was almost overwhelming. It feels like these animated…