“Parasite” Review
While Bong Joon-ho’s filmography boasts much of the fantastic, most of them carry a scathing criticism of the class structure that damages futures and society. There’s no missing that commentary in Parasite, shoving it into our faces with uncomfortable catharsis. Blindsiding the audience as a dark comedy, this story takes Continue Reading
“Knives Out” Review
Rian Johnson’s whodunnit of Knives Out is a love-letter of a murder mystery that broadcasts an affinity for the genre while still holding a sharp edge all it’s own. While it plays with the material and finds some of the dark humor within such a scenario, there’s a real sense Continue Reading
“Frozen II” Review
While 2013’s Frozen became firmly lodged in the pop-culture consciousness for its numerous merchandising and constant repetition of the soundtrack, it was also a film of great surprise and subversion. Shifting the tale from being about finding true love to staying to your sibling, the charming characters and visual splendor Continue Reading
“A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood” Review
While there are plenty of nostalgic stings for Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood present within this emotional journey, there’s one moment that is exceptionally powerful. While out to lunch, Rogers recommends a break from the conversation to have a moment of silence to think of those who loved us and brought us Continue Reading
“Jojo Rabbit” Review
Compared to the more aggressive and astute Nazi satire of Look Who’s Back, Jojo Rabbit is a stroll through easy comedy. The German Nazis during the last days of the war are portrayed as easy cartoonish figures easy enough to laugh at for being so wrong. Jokes about burning literature Continue Reading
“Ford v Ferrari” Review
As the triumphant tale of how Ford won the Le Mans race, I wasn’t all that enthralled to hop into the passenger seat of such a story. This was especially concerning for a picture that runs 2 1/2 hours that I fully expected to be bogged down in its checklist Continue Reading
“Doctor Sleep” Review
Following the maddening nature of Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining is no easy task. But after nearly 40 years since that film, now would be the time to try to take a whack at it, given the success of numerous sequels in the past few years from films over 30 years Continue Reading
“Terminator: Dark Fate” Review
Even though the Terminator franchise seems to have been stuck in the same gear since its initial time-travel premise, Dark Fate tries desperately to switch out as many parts as it can. Instead of taking place mostly in America, the battle shifts to Mexico and the Texas border. Instead of Continue Reading
“The Kill Team” Review
In 2013, Dan Krauss directed a documentary on the Maywand District murders during the War in Afghanistan, trying to find context and meaning within interviews. In 2019, he has directed a film on the same subject with the same title but now seeks a tougher answer. How would we feel Continue Reading
“The Laundromat” Review
The craziness of the corruption within capitalism breeds a similar sense of maddening within the assembly of Soderbergh’s The Laundromat. The film takes aim at the Panama Papers scandal, the damage it caused and how the leaks only revealed a small part of a big problem yet to be resolved. Continue Reading