4 out of 5 stars (One of the Best of the Year) Encanto is an example of Disney working at the height of its power. It’s a small story told with toe-tapping songs, humor, emotional honesty, and gorgeous animation. I felt great joy watching a mainstream animated film tackle such issues as self-doubt, feeling out… Continue Reading
Woman Alive: A Mature, Intimate Odyssey
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
Halloween 2018: Brutally Violent Sequel Brings the Bloody Goods
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
Venom 2: Let This Be The Final Installment
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
CopShop: Darkly Comic Thriller Conserves Ammo Till the Explosive End
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
Shang-Chi: A Marvelously Character-Driven Fantasy Epic
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
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