The box office is huge, the reviews are ecstatic, and the Cinemascore grade from audiences is an “A.” So it’s safe to say nearly anyone will really love this movie, and even if I thought it was only good rather than great, that’s no small thing at all considering I haven’t truly loved any Marvel property…ever, and am just…
Category: Monday Morning Movie Reviewer
Movie Review: Logan Vs. King Kong Skull Island
In this landscape of Disney remakes, unasked for Power Rangers reboots, uncalled for Fast and Furious sequels, and even a–oh, what the fuck?–R-rated, kitchen-sink CHIPS remake it may look like Hollywood has officially run out of ideas. Even a technically new idea like the sci-fi thriller “Life” looks cobbled together out of 100 “astronauts run…
Monday Morning Movie Reviewer: John Wick Chapter 2
“John Wick Chapter 2” is thrillingly serialized so make sure you see the first one before heading into a theater. You’ll still probably be able to follow this movie—obviously, most scenes work on a visceral level and there’s not much to “get” about a guy killing his way out of a room—but the world-building is…
“Get Out” IS Racist, but Towards Interracial Couples
The buzz and controversy of “Get Out” is deafening, but the few–too few–criticisms the movie appears to be getting is that it’s anti-white or racist towards white people. I don’t really believe that, and there’s little in this movie that hasn’t been in “Machete” or Blaxploitation films, but the film is anti-interracial couples and in that way…
Why “Moonlight” is Really Good, but “La La Land” is Better
Quick Note About Last Night’s Oscars: I nailed literally all the big categories except Best Picture, correctly predicting Mahershala Ali, Viola Davis, Emma Stone, Casey Affleck, Moonlight’s Best Adapted Screenplay, Manchester by the Sea’s Best Original Screenplay, Zootopia, and Damien Chazelle’s Best Director win. So some of this post may be affected by “Moonlight” screwing up my prediction…
Movie Reviews: Nocturnal Animals, Manchester By the Sea, Hidden Figures, Fences, Jackie
Five big Oscar contenders that are all worth watching for different reasons… Nocturnal Animals…Tom Ford’s follow-up to “A Single Man” (still a great movie and all-time best performance from Colin Firth, if you haven’t seen it) isn’t as deep and doesn’t stay with you as long, but it’s still a fun head-game in the moment….
Movie Reviews: War Dogs, Snowden, Our Kind of Traitor
Three very different (but quality) 2016 films about espionage or the military industrial complex… Our Kind of Traitor…If you’ve ever read a John Le Carre novel (and this book is based on one of his most recent ones) then you know his spy tales will be more about slowly untangling suspense than wham-blam action set…
Movie Reviews: Pete’s Dragon, The Secret life of Pets, Sully
Three 2016 films that are family-appropriate (except “Sully” may bore some kids and may scare younger children during the plane crash sequences)… Sully…Listed as one of my “Best Films of 2016,” it’s so old-fashioned it’s practically new-school. Tom Hanks continues his winning streak, and even though some of the scenes suffer from Eastwood’s trademark stodginess,…
Movie Reviews: Miles Ahead, Anthropoid, Mechanic Resurrection, Jack Reacher 2
Today’s the end of the road of 2016 movies I never reviewed earlier… Miles Ahead…Don Cheadle used Kickstarter to get his labor-of-love film financed (something people apparently do even when they can afford to finance it themselves), and I wish this Miles Davis biopic had done a better job of explaining why Miles was such a jazz…
Why “Weiner” is the Best Film of 2016 (and “Hacksaw Ridge” the Worst)
Following up on my “Best of 2016” rankings, I didn’t post proper reviews of “Weiner” or “Hacksaw Ridge” before the listings in order to keep things a surprise. I thought I would expand a little bit on both… Hacksaw Ridge: It’s true that I may stand alone among critics in listing this as one of…
Every 2016 Movie From Worst to Best
It’s a proud Alabama Liberal tradition to rank all of a completed year’s movies from worst to best—beat that paid-critics with your limited “Top 10” lists—and as always there’s just a few qualifiers: 1. Just because movies share the same letter grade (like a C grade) doesn’t mean they’re equal, and the rankings reflect which movies of…
Movie Review: Why “Loving” Succeeds
People know my feelings on interracial relationships and Hollywood’s usually dismal representation of them. And so they may look at the headline of this article and say “Really? ‘Loving’ is better than ‘Moonlight’ and a lot better than ’13th?’ We knew you were going to love it, but you honestly think it’s better than any…
Movie Review: Why “Moonlight” Mostly Succeeds
“Moonlight” is about a young, gay boy growing up in Miami around a scene of drug dealers and drug addicts. Some have nicknamed it “Brokeback in the Hood” but that may take away from just what kind-of movie it is and how little actual homosexual content is in it. What Works: Mahershala Ali continues his great…