Vigilante movies are somewhat irrestible, aren’t they? You get to watch somebody else take on a corrupt system rigged to favor criminals (both high and low) either through extreme negligence (as in the case of “I Don’t Feel at Home in this World Anymore”) or law enforcement kickbacks (“Sleepless”). But even though vigilante films/noirs may…
Category: Monday Morning Movie Reviewer
Movie Reviews: “Get Me Roger Stone,” “Oklahoma City,” and “Nobody Speak: Trials of the Free Press”
Is there anything better than a great political documentary? All three of these are worth a watch and currently on Netflix… Oklahoma City…A documentary about the Oklahoma City bombing that may not reveal a whole lot of new information, but it does delve deep into the history of the radical rightwing that led up to…
Movie Review: Okja
Heralded as Netflix’s “breakthrough into mainstream film success”—which people have said about Adam Sandler’s Netflix-only projects or oscar-contender “Beasts of No Nation” years ago—the latest film from Snowpiercer’s versatile Bong Joon-Ho is about a genetically engineered super-pig that looks more like a hippopotamus with Dumbo ears. The pig is raised in the seclusion of the…
Movie Review: 47 Meters Down
Just judging by the trailer, I pretty much dismissed this as a “The Shallows” knock-off with two women instead of Blake Lively. And even though it still pretty much is—don’t pretend this would’ve gotten made if “The Shallows” had flopped last year during the exact same time period—it’s more than worth watching on a big…
Movie Review: The Mummy
Can a movie sometimes benefit from bad expectations? Absolutely, because I was told this movie was so bad that when it did something right—and it does in a few scenes—it almost made me feel I was watching a good movie. But really I wasn’t… What Works: There are a handful of standout sequences, but except for…
Movie Review: Shimmer Lake, A Dog’s Purpose, Split
Sometimes a movie slips through the cracks, and I eventually catch up to it… Shimmer Lake…It’s too bad this twisty, well-crafted noir film didn’t get a theaterical release because I feel the Netflix-only model is tantamount to getting buried with a “straight to DVD” release. There are 100s of new things on Netflix every single…
“Cars 3” Reviewed by a Critic that Actually Likes This Franchise
Is there a more underrated franchise out there than “Cars?” The first film was terrific, but is usually ranked in the middle-of-the-pack or towards the bottom when people begin comparing Pixar titles, and “Cars 2” is usually (wrongly) labeled “the worst Pixar film.” Even on Rotten Tomatoes, people seem surprised that they actually liked “Cars…
Movie Review: Wonder Woman
Once you get past the exaggerated praise (that feels more about what’s happening outside the theater than anything shown in the movie), it’s a solid superhero movie that’s at least as good as anything Marvel (or DC) has put out since “The Dark Knight” trilogy ended. What Works: Most critics have somewhat-myopically focused on “Wonder Woman”…
Movie Review: Captain Underpants
The title of “Captain Underpants: The First Epic Adventure” is either a hopeful promise of sequels or a threat of more early Nickeldeon-esque inanity depending on how much you liked this first installment. Like the titular hero (the brainwashed alter ego of a joyless, so-miserable-he’s-angry principal), I was somewhat divided watching it: I enjoyed long…
Movie Review: Hunter Gatherer, The Discovery, Monster Trucks
Sometimes movies slip through the cracks, and then it’s time to throw the unlikeliest of films together for a mixed-salad of reviews… Hunter Gatherer…A classic example of how a bad ending can really ruin an otherwise solid film. The Wire’s Andre Royo has been so good at livening up stale material (he brought energy to…
Movie Reviews: “War Machine” and “The Wizard of Lies”
Sadly, people are debating about whether to release any movie smaller than “Transformers”-size in a theater at all. Some argue that small and mid-size movies will be seen by a wider audience if they just stream on various platforms or Video-On Demand, but to me that would basically symbolize the death of independent cinema and…
Movie Review: Why “Alien: Covenant” is a Step Backward for the Franchise
Even before “Alien: Covenant” opened to softer-than-expected box office, I was dubious it would really offer the creative goods. That’s why I placed it in the “I’m not so sure about” section of my summer movie preview, and watching the film didn’t really change anything. I still wish they had made a more direct sequel…
Movie Review: King Arthur
“King Arthur” holds the dubious distinction of being “Summer 2017’s First Big Flop.” Uhhh…congratulations? To celebrate, what do you get the movie who has nothing, including dismal reviews, bad box office, and its franchise hopes dashed? How about a mild Alabama Liberal review that points out what the movie does right? I’m just kidding, this…