The summer of 2019 has been all about testing the sanctity of my childhood. First “Avengers: Endgame” was made for my kid at heart, then they did a live-action remake of “Aladdin” (with “Lion King” still to come) and now we have a sequel to the assumed-“Toy Story” trilogy. We must proceed with caution. “Toy… Continue reading ‘Toy Story 4′ is Showing the Series’ Age, but it Still Delivers
And the summer of sequalitis duds continues. “Men in Black: International” is the fourth film of the alien-fighting franchise that started with Tommy Lee Jones and Will Smith in 1997. This time around Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson take the reins while F. Gary Gray takes over directing duties from Barry Sonnenfeld. In the film,… Continue reading If I Called This Review ‘Meh in Black’ It Would Still Be Funnier Than Any Joke in ‘MiB: International’
OK, hear me out. “Dark Phoenix” is the 12th (and ipso facto final) installment of Fox’s “X-Men” series, before its likely reboot by Disney into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The film follows the X-Men as they confront one of their members who has been exposed to a strange power source during a space mission. James… Continue reading Don’t Believe the Clickbait: ‘Dark Phoenix’ is Not *That* Bad
I’m just over here waiting for my Beatles biopic, don’t mind me… “Rocketman” is the telling of Sir Elton John’s career, from his days as a piano prodigy through his highs and lows as one of the world’s most famous musicians. Taron Egerton stars as John with Jamie Bell as his musical partner Bernie Taupin,… Continue reading ‘Rocketman’ May Not Soar, but It’s a Solid Trip
Look, I know this looks like an easily-dismissible female “Superbad” but just hear me out. “Booksmart” is the directorial debut of Olivia Wilde and follows two goody two-shoes students (Kaitlyn Dever and Beanie Feldstein) who set out to party the night before their graduation after realizing they wasted their high school careers. Jessica Williams, Will… Continue reading ‘Booksmart’ is the Best Comedy in Over a Year
It took a few of these, but we have finally made it to a “Disney remakes one of their animated classics as live-action” for a film that I actually loved as a kid. We must proceed with caution. “Aladdin” is the latest of the live-action Disney remakes, retelling the 1992 film, as well as the… Continue reading ‘Aladdin’ Hits Enough Magical and Musical Beats to Charm You Over
In some ways, this feels like “Star Wars: The Last Jedi” in that this film contains both the highest highs and the lowest lows of the franchise. “Avengers: Endgame” is the follow-up to 2018’s “Infinity War” and is the 22nd film of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which began 11 years ago with “Iron Man.” The… Continue reading ‘Avengers: Endgame’ Takes Some Risks that Don’t Pay Off, but There’s Still a Lot to Love
In case you weren’t feeling like you haven’t accomplished enough in your life, Marsai Martin, who is just 14, is now officially the youngest person ever to executively produce a Hollywood film. So. There’s that. “Little” is the story of a shrill executive (Regina Hall) who is transformed into the 13-year-old version of herself (Marsai… Continue reading Rae and Martin Help Make ‘Little’ a Tiny Bit Better Than It Should Be
People say Hollywood has run out of ideas and that Disney is growing too big for everyone’s own good, and you have to look for farther than remaking a 60-minute 1941 animated film and having it be the first of four live-action redos by the company set to come out in 2019. “Dumbo” is the… Continue reading ‘Dumbo’ is Charming and Entertaining (Enough)
Less than a month ago we had Marvel’s “Captain Marvel” and now we have DC’s “Shazam,” a character who was originally named Captain Marvel but, for legal obvious reasons, no longer is. “Shazam!” is the seventh installment of the DC Extended Universe and the first live-action depiction of the character since the 1941 movie serials.… Continue reading Zachary Levi Soars, but ‘Shazam!’ is Just OK
The Reel Deal 