It took Scarlett Johansson seven appearances in other MCU films before her titular character received her own standalone film – through no fault of her own – and while we should applaud it because it’s a well-acted and well-produced film, know that it also doesn’t quite live up to the rest of the library.
Read MoreSteven Soderbergh’s latest film, available on HBO Max, feels like the product of the filmmaker getting together with some frequent collaborators to knock out a film just because they enjoy it, not unlike a jam session. The result isn’t particularly cutting-edge or fresh, but there’s something to be said for when creatives meet up to bounce ideas around.
Read MoreMuscular, many-limbed and possessing tentacles that eject bullet-like spines, the so-called Whitespikes are instantly believable as a species that could overrun the Earth. So it’s a shame that the movie that introduces them feels distinctly familiar, as if constructed from pieces of other, better sci-fi movies.
Read MoreTo be fair, Luca isn’t up there with Pixar’s recent list-topping achievements like Up, Inside Out or Coco. It takes some of the premise of The Little Mermaid, pairs it with a mid-20th century Italian setting, and renders it with their characteristic industry-leading visuals. It may not leave you sobbing, but it’s still an easy recommendation.
Read MoreThe most frustrating part, however, is Snyder’s refusal to ever delve deeper into the universe he creates. We see this in Zack Snyder’s Justice League, where he clearly has an entire library of stories and whole universes planned out, and he ever so subtly hints at them.
Read MoreI had trouble sitting through this film without getting frustrated and throwing up my arms in disgust. It was far too simplistic, and too often I’m wondering why Julianne Moore, Brian Tyree Henry and Tracy Letts (who wrote the screenplay) were so underused
Read MoreWe might expect the rest of the movie to focus on Hannah coming face to face with another fire, and learning to overcome her misplaced guilt. This is a Taylor Sheridan movie, though. So in the tradition of movies he’s written (Sicario, Hell or High Water) and directed (Wind River), it needs to have some human evil on par with the natural menace.
Read MoreHe’s a world-class solder, a quick thinker with a quicker trigger and the ability to process minutiae really fast and spit it out as exposition to the audience. He’s fun to watch but difficult to relate to, and at the end gets lost in a massive library of action heroes who we remember by the name of the actor who portrayed them and not the character themselves.
Read MoreThere’s emotional weight to the action and the characters (Taslim and Sanada were both good, despite having their faces covered for half the film) and it gave you a sense of hope (which ended up being false) that this was going to be a video-game movie that was self-aware and had a chance to be good.
Read MoreThe script is too thin to really grapple with the moral dilemma. We get a few sequences where the characters individually break down due to the stress, but the drama never builds to the wrenching height that the situation demands. Maybe you can chalk that up to the immense training and professionalism that these characters would exemplify, but it did leave me a bit cold.
Read MoreIt’s an Oscar season unlike any other. With an eligibility period and a ceremony delayed by two months due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it may be a long time before we see an Oscars year as uncertain as this. Major movies that may have figured into the race have been delayed, leaving a slate of nominees that would have been drowned out in other years.
Read MoreIt’s meant as a bitter commentary about the nexus between capitalism, ambition, and the way we treat our elders. But the bitterness is so intense that it lingers after the credits roll, causing you to wonder if the movie accomplished much at all, besides its stylish presentation and strong performances.
Read MoreFennell thus sweeps us along into a film that follows many of the beats of a traditional revenge film, but none of the violence. As cathartic as it may be to want Cassie’s enemies to get served more painful justice than they do, it’s clear that Fennell (who also wrote the screenplay) doesn’t want to tip her heroine into the kind of villainy she’s supposed to be fighting against.
Read MoreSetting the film in 1984 was just an excuse to cut a synth-heavy trailer (music we never got in the film, by the way) and let Pine make stupid jokes about fanny packs. Even if we forgive Diana – who’s supposedly the embodiment of moral good – for overlooking the fact that her wish temporarily traps a living soul in limbo and other such ramifications in a Freaky Friday swap, it’s debatable how much Steve’s character moves Diana or the story forward.
Read MoreThat’s the inherent struggle within Disney and Star Wars; innovation can lead to good – sometimes great – ideas, but the cost is potentially alienating those who prefer things to stay constant or those too afraid to try new things.
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