“Sicario” is near-flawless in its technical aspects, and definitely worth a watch, but, at times, there are shadings of artificiality that keep it from being truly one for the ages. What Works: Almost from the very first frame, “Sicario” finds a way to pull (or drag) you into its world with sharp cinematography, an excellently dread-filled…
Movie Review: Everest
One of the very few films where the 3D ticket price was worth it. What Works: People going to a movie like this are really only looking for one thing: cool shots of snow-covered mountains, and suspenseful sequences. “Everest” delivers both with skill, and some solid performances from a cast that includes Jake Gyllenhaal, John Hawkes,…
Live-Blogging the Main GOP Debate…Try to Contain Yourselves
In the break between the two debates it was interesting that Marco Rubio’s Super-PAC had the most ads. Seems like the billionaires are gathering… 6:00–A long montage showcasing Fall leaves. Is this a Starbucks commercial for a new Fall Latte or a GOP debate? 6:03–Long introductions showing that there are only a ludricrous-eight candidates tonight….
Live-Blogging the (Also-Ran) GOP Debate…Yep, Try Not to Die From Excitement
What better way for a political blog that mostly talks about movies/TV to transition back into politics than to cover the ridiculous GOP debates which have become entertaining side-shows… 4:01–What a sad second-tier stage as only Bobby Jindal, Rick Santorum, and the recently-demoted Chris Christie and Mike Huckabee are on it. Poor old Lindsey Graham…
Donald Trump on “SNL”…Actually Not that Bad
“The episode sucked.” “The jokes went nowhere.” “Half the sketches were awkward and the other half were aimless.” “The pacing was weird and the last half hour was ridiculously low-energy.” “Half the cast looked like they didn’t want to be there.” “They played it too safe.” “The host isn’t a natural sketch comedy performer.” All…
Movie Review: Burnt
Per usual, most of the other critics are wrong in their assessment of this film as they think the problem with it is that the lead character is unlikable. In fact, the movie’s attempts to sporadically soft peddle him actually diminish the film’s main theme of the pursuit of greatness. This could have been this year’s “Whiplash,”…
Movie Review: “Our Brand is Crisis”…Watch the Documentary Instead
The headline pretty much sums it up. If you were seeking political entertainment, then you could spend two hours of your life in worse ways—there are always Republican Primary debates—but the documentary this film is based on (which I saw nearly a decade ago and never once thought “boy, I hope they remake this with…
Movie Review: Steve Jobs
I’ve been dormant for too long, but today brings three new reviews of movies that all center around the theme of perfection whether that’s achieved through winning a campaign, achieving a Michelin star, or revolutionizing computers. I’ll start off with the best of the bunch… What Works: “Steve Jobs” will leave people with wildly different reactions,…
Movie Review Round-Up: The Seventh Son, Jupiter Ascending, McFarland USA
Sometimes a movie slips throught the cracks on theaterical release, and sometimes they deserve to… The Seventh Son…Odds are strong that if you clicked on this article, it wasn’t to read about this film, which most people refer to as “What movie again? Haven’t heard of it.” It’s the one with Jeff Bridges teaching a…
TV Review: “Fear the Walking Dead” and “The Strain”
Two Sunday night horror shows that had their season finales last night (small world). However…well, the news is more mixed than positive. Fear the Walking Dead…This spin-off of The Walking Dead is less about the breakdown of civilization and more about the panicky overkill that might result in the early days of a crisis. It…
Movie Review: “Cooties”
There’s nothing scarier than creepy kid movies, except for perhaps movies where it’s a whole town of creepy kids. It seems like the natural progression to make a movie about a pandemic of creepy (zombie) kids, and it’s resulted in one of the best horror comedies in a long while. “Cooties” is about a zombie-creating virus that…
Movie Review: No Escape
This film has been a bit unfairly dismissed by most critics, and–if you read most of the reviews–they seem caught up more in the fact that the portrayals of rioting Southeast Asians is racist than anything actually presented on camera. As an excuse to engage in identity politics, most of the reviews work, but as…
Movie Review: The Gift
My reviews are getting so late in the game, that getting a new one is practically the same thing as a “Gift” but I’ll try to soldier on even as most people have already seen this movie… What Works: Written, directed, and starring Joel Edgerton “The Gift” is a a very well-crafted, sharper-than-you-think creepy “friend” thriller….