A crowd-pleasing biopic featuring standout performances, particularly from Emma Stone (who's never been better). While I wish it found time to dig a little deeper rather than breeze through a series of greatest hits plot points, it is able to balance big entertainment and biting social commentary quite well. There may not be a more … Continue reading Review: Battle of the Sexes →

Confidently balances high-quality scares with a timeless and poignant coming of age allegory. Bill Skarsgård makes for a wonderfully terrifying version of Pennywise and the rest of the young cast acquit themselves quite impressively. This is a worthy big-screen adaptation of Stephen King's seminal novel while also being a solidly entertaining time out at the … Continue reading Review: It →

A technical masterwork and a big, bold exercise in structure, editing, and escalating tension. While the film is light on characterization, that's also partly the point as Nolan fully immerses the audience in this experience where the only form of hope comes in the faces of strangers. The scale of the production is jaw-droppingly spectacular … Continue reading Review: Dunkirk →

A dark and powerful epic. Like previous entries, it relies much more on rich and heavy drama than wall-to-wall action. Matt Reeves proves he's in the upper echelon of blockbuster directors and I'm very excited to see what he does with Batman. The realization of these Apes, from the FX team to the actors (especially … Continue reading Review: War for the Planet of the Apes →

Bold, challenging, beautifully simple yet deeply complex, moving, heartbreaking, thought-provoking, probing, unshakable, visionary, and utterly unique. Grade: A

A high-octane fusion of music and image with a great cast, a fast-paced story, and some of the best car chases ever put to screen (go lie down Fast and Furious). Edgar Wright is a director who consistently uses every cinematic tool at his disposable and even invents a few new ones. Never a moment … Continue reading Review: Baby Driver →

Patty Jenkins delivers a knockout old-fashioned adventure tale that is funny, romantic, and thrilling while never sacrificing its characters for spectacle. Gal Gadot is as iconic as Wonder Woman as Christopher Reeve and Hugh Jackman were to their respective roles. Robin Wright is as perfect as it gets. Chris Pine is exceptionally good with how … Continue reading Review: Wonder Woman →

An extended "Prometheus" epilogue wrapped inside a mostly function retread of older "Alien" movies. Fassbender glues your eyes to screen whenever he's on and is far and away the movie's highlight. I enjoyed this crew of characters more than their predecessors, but there's not a whole lot of meat on the bones overall. The action … Continue reading Review: Alien Convenant →

While it boasts impressive eye candy and still one of the most entertaining packs of heroes in movies today, the film strands its characters in a paper-thin story that feels more like a collection of subplots stretched to over two hours. It relies heavily on all that audiences loved from the first film and repeats … Continue reading Review: Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2 →

While it doesn't measure up to Jackson's 2005 film in terms of scale, spectacle, story, characters, or performance, it does offer some well-orchestrated, mindless monster entertainment with a well-rounded cast. It also moves at a brisk pace and has plenty of jaw-dropping imagery of its own. Grade: B.