Well Jordan Peele was able to beat the mediocre freshman directorial debut cliché, so if anyone can stump the sophomore slump it’s him. “Us” is the second feature from writer-director Jordan Peele, following his Oscar-winning start with “Get Out” in 2017. It follows a family (Lupita Nyong’o, Winston Duke, Shahadi Wright Joseph and Evan Alex)… Continue reading ‘Us’ Keeps Us Guessing in the Most Tense of Ways
I just want to go back to the days where Adam McKay was helping Will Ferrell make his only good movies… “Vice” is the biopic of Dick Cheney, a man who would rise from young staffer all the way to Vice President of the United States. Christian Bale, who gained 40 pounds for the role,… Continue reading All the Makeup in the World Can’t Cover the Major Flaws in ‘Vice’
The behind-the-scenes drama of what it took to get this movie made is more interesting than the actual film itself… “Bohemian Rhapsody” is the biopic of the band Queen, following frontman Freddie Mercury (played by Rami Malek). Lucy Boynton, Gwilym Lee, Ben Hardy, Joseph Mazzello, Aidan Gillen, Tom Hollander, Allen Leech and Mike Myers also… Continue reading Not Without Its Moments, ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ is Ultimately Too Basic and Safe
More like “First Meh,” amiright?? “First Man” depicts the career of astronaut Neil Armstrong (portrayed by Ryan Gosling) leading up to the Apollo 11 mission to the moon in 1969. Claire Foy plays his wife while Jason Clarke, Kyle Chandler, Corey Stoll, Ciarán Hinds and Lukas Haas also star and Damien Chazelle directs. When you… Continue reading ‘First Man’ Can’t Fully Achieve Liftoff
Between this being the first Hollywood thriller to feature an Asian in the leading role and “Crazy Rich Asians” blazing its own trails and records, August was a good month for Asian-Americans. Told from the perspective of computers, cameras and smartphones, “Searching” follows a father who searches (eh!) for his missing teenage daughter. John Cho… Continue reading ‘Searching’ is a Tech Thriller with a Few Things to Say
“Slender Man” is based on the internet meme of the same name, in which a tall, skinny figure appears and haunts youth who summon him. It stars Joey King, Julia Goldani Telles, Jaz Sinclair and Annalise Basso, and is directed by Sylvain White. This film is lazy, ugly, derivative, boring, monotonous, dull, dreadful and moronic.… Continue reading If ‘Slender Man’ Does Not End Up Being the Worst Film of 2018 I Will Donate to Charity
I thought Awkwafina was wasted in “Ocean’s 8” but after seeing her steal the show in this I *really* think Awkwafina was wasted in “Ocean’s 8.” “Crazy Rich Asians” is the adaptation of the novel of the same name, and follows an American-born Asian woman (Constance Wu) who travels to Singapore with her boyfriend (Henry… Continue reading Awkwafina is Great, ‘Crazy Rich Asians’ is Just OK
As far as all-female reboots/re-imaginings of classic film franchises go, the bar for this to beat “Ghostbusters” was not that high… “Ocean’s 8” stars Sandra Bullock as the estranged sister of Danny Ocean, and follows her as she puts together a crew of women to steal a diamond necklace during the Met Gala in New… Continue reading ‘Ocean’s 8’ is Simple Fun that Goes Down Smooth
What do you get when you combine “John Wick,” “Death Wish,” “Ex Machina” and “RoboCop?” This movie, apparently. “Upgrade” stars Logan Marshall-Green as a man who is left crippled after a mugging, only to be given the chance to walk again thanks to an experimental chip implanted in his spine. He quickly discovers the chip… Continue reading ‘Upgrade’ is Very Bloody, Very Familiar and Very, Very Fun
No matter how good the films are, I worry that we are creeping dangerously close to the point where “Star Wars” will lose its magic and we no longer eagerly look forward to the release of a new one… “Solo: A Star Wars Story” is the origin story to the character of Han Solo, portrayed… Continue reading It’s Nothing Special, but ‘Solo: A Star Wars Story’ is Fun
The Reel Deal 