The People's Critic -- You'll Learn to Trust Me
3.5 out of 5 stars (above average) Woman Alive is a very good movie only hurt by its pacing. The acting from everyone is great, the writing is natural, and director Macabit Abramson provides a very intimate and personal feel in its discussion of the mature issues it brings up. Lihi Zemel (Abramson’s daughter) gives… Continue Reading
3.5 out of 5 stars (above average) Halloween is one of the longest-running franchises out there, and after years of middling sequels and an early 00s reboot, you’d think returning to this particular well would be a fool’s errand. However, director David Gordon Green delivers a surprisingly brutal direct sequel to the 1978 classic that… Continue Reading
2.5 out of 5 stars (decent) I was a big fan of the original Venom. A mostly light, playful sci-fi action film with the occasional mildly disturbing image, it proved you could make a film about a Spider-Man villain without Spider-Man ever making an appearance. The best aspect of it was funnily antagonistic back-and-forth between… Continue Reading
3 out of 5 stars (Average) This review originally appeared on The Illuminerdi on September 17, 2021. Gerard Butler. Frank Grillo. The gruff-voiced titans of B-action movies finally come together in CopShop, a darkly comic action flick where Grillo is a man on the run and Butler an assassin looking to claim the price on… Continue Reading
4 out of 5 stars (One of the best of its year) Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is everything I come to the Marvel Cinematic Universe for. It’s a smaller-scale story driven just as much by character emotions as it is awe-inspiring action that never lets its fantasy elements drown out the… Continue Reading
3 out of 5 stars (average) Nia DaCosta’s Candyman is one of the most ambitious horror movies you’ll see this year. A direct sequel to the 1992 film of the same name, DaCosta’s film goes for the jugular attempting to tackle several weighty themes while also giving audiences a satisfyingly scary gorefest. For me, Candyman… Continue Reading