By Stephen Shea Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019) tells the stories of a fictional TV star Rick Dalton, his stunt double Cliff Booth, and Actress Sharon Tate in 1969 Hollywood, around the time of the Manson murders. It is an ambitious film that has all the trappings of a Tarantino movie (feet, violence, … Continue reading
Category Archives: Contemporary Review
High Life
By Clement Obropta Sometimes, as though only to show that they can, auteurs go to space. Stanley Kubrick had 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968), Christopher Nolan had Interstellar (2014), and now Claire Denis has High Life (2019). Regrettably, though it isn’t the sausage fest those perennials of science-fiction cinema are, Denis’ fantastical story of a … Continue reading
Avengers: Endgame
By Jonathan Cornell Avengers: Endgame (2019) is the the twenty-second film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the second to be released this year, after Captain Marvel (2019). An unforgettable spectacle for the ages, Endgame manages to excel as both a satisfying payoff to the universe-altering events of last year’s Avengers: Infinity War (2018) as … Continue reading
Pet Sematary
By Alex Bird Pet Sematary (2019), the second film adaptation of Stephen King’s 1983 novel of the same name, is a bit of a throwback in the current horror landscape. It aims for a place its hard to remember existed, in between the ultra-cheap franchise-driven B level, and the indie prestige horror from filmmakers like … Continue reading
Shazam!
By Clement Obropta Shazam! (2019) starts in the ’70s with Merlin-esque wizards, mystical Magic 8 Balls, rich kids in limousines and gargoyle incarnations of the seven deadly sins. It only grows more incomprehensible from there. Once it gets to present-day Pennsylvania, Shazam! follows Billy Batson (Asher Angel), a troublesome foster kid abducted by a wizard … Continue reading
Halloween
By Jon Mendelsohn Franchises are a funny thing. If a movie has a legacy, It really doesn’t matter whether a new take on a classic story is necessary. Hollywood will make a sequel every ten years if it’s guaranteed to make bank. That’s why I was skeptical when I first heard about Halloween (2018). Is … Continue reading
Smallfoot
By Tony Di Nizo While Disney dominates the animation arena, other studios are begging to throw their hat into the ring. Warner Animation Group, an underdog competitor has given the mouse house a run for their money with The Lego Movie franchise. Now they are back with another potential franchise, attempting to create another snow-themed … Continue reading
Venom
By Brendan McMahan Sony Pictures and Marvel Studios have had muddled interactions over the last three years, with Spider-Man’s introduction to the Marvel Cinematic Universe being one of the few products of a deal we got to see. After the box office shortcoming of The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014), Sony agreed to give Marvel the … Continue reading
A Star is Born
By Stephen Shea A Star is Born (2018) is the third remake of the classic tale of a young ingenue being taken in by an older, weathered performer. As she rises he falls. This time around the film is directed by Bradley Cooper who also stars with Lady Gaga as Jackson Maine and Ally respectively. … Continue reading
A Simple Favor
By Stephen Shea A Simple Favor (2018) is a delightfully dark and twisty thriller from Paul Feig that is able to show Feig as a competent director of drama while never losing the funnier elements of the script. In the end you have a fun thriller with crazy twists that keeps you guessing until the … Continue reading