“Cats” Review
Halfway through Cats, my brain broke. I can’t recall if it was when Ian McKellen started hissing like a cat or when Judi Dench started rubbing her whiskers on other cats. I thought about picking my brain back up but then realized something; this is a musical called Cats with 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
“Maleficent: Mistress of Evil” Review
The good news is that the sequel to 2014’s Maleficent has some notable improvements. It’s more colorful, magical, features a more solid story and a significant reduction in rape allegories. In its place, however, is a more milquetoast fantasy of familiar elements that comes off as Ferngully meets Guess Who’s Continue Reading
“Aladdin” (2019) Review
It’d be too easy to look down on Guy Ritchie’s Aladdin as being inferior to the classic 1992 animated film. Of course it’d be inferior. Nobody can top Robin Williams. No amount of computer graphics in live-action can topple the magical wonderment of hand-drawn animation. And nothing could top that Continue Reading
“Hellboy” (2019) Review
Watching this new take on the hell-born hero of the comics is akin to witnessing someone try to shove 300 pounds of laundry into one suitcase. You know it won’t fit and it’s just going to be an embarrassing sight but you can’t help but watch the results. And it’s Continue Reading
“The Kid Who Would Be King” Review
As a fantasy that manages to be blunt with its message and light with its adventure, The Kid Who Would Be King fits snugly into the familiar armor of a plucky kid-oriented adventure just for young fantasy seekers. There are no in-jokes for the adults nor a surprise for the Continue Reading
“Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald” Review
Prequels are tough to get into when you’re aware of everything that will happen to certain characters. The Crimes of Grindelwald seems to be trying to overwhelm the audience with too much lore and characters, as though it were conjuring a distraction from the rather dreary and feckless fantasy. Perhaps you’ll Continue Reading
“The Nutcracker and the Four Realms” Review
Far from the grace of a ballet, The Nutcracker and the Four Realms is a gigantic smear of fantasy that puts in the minimal effort of adventure and inspiration. It’s sadly yet another property taken by Disney that comes with the best of intentions but the sloppiest of executions. A Continue Reading
“Thor: Ragnarok” Review
Thor always felt like a character of untapped potential. He’s a god of thunder that defends his mystical kingdom of Asgard from the other intergalactic forces of the nine realms. So why does everything have to take place on Earth? Finally ditching his female love interest, Thor finds on a Continue Reading
“King Arthur: Legend of the Sword” Review
Guy Ritchie firmly establishes from the first few scenes that this won’t be the same old tale of King Arthur. Within the first minute, there’s already an attack on a kingdom by evil wizards leading a pack of gargantuan elephants that could trample castles. A king jumps into battle with Continue Reading