Search for 2023

The “so bad it’s good” tag often applied to co-called “cult classics” is as elusive a categorization as there is in cinema. Most of the time, it evolves organically from the failure of a movie. Planning campiness is more apt to result in...

Watching The Color Purple, there were times when the split personality was enough to pull me out of the experience. Musical stage adaptations of serious novels can sometimes work because of the immediacy of the audience and the reality of the ...

When a movie invites comparisons to the work of James Cameron and Christopher Nolan, it’s apparent that the director (in this case, Gareth Edwards) has done something very right. The Creator may rely on numerous common science fiction concepts b...

Creed III is the first Rocky movie without Rocky. Considering the imbalance created by the Stallone/Jordan dynamic in Creed II, the decision to excise the Italian Stallion from the narrative framework makes sense. The Creed movies need to move forw...

The Critic transpires during a time when critics (in this case, theater critics) wielded enormous power. A review in a daily newspaper could ruin a reputation, close a play, or elevate something from obscurity to prosperity. The film occurs in 193...

With a surreal atmosphere and offbeat narrative, Norwegian writer/director Kristoffer Borgli’s Dream Scenario distantly recalls Being John Malkovich while offering commentary on both the warped and fleeting nature of fame and the corrosive impact...

Dumb Money is many things but one thing it isn’t is “dumb.” An engagingly lighthearted rags-to-riches romp with a David vs. Goliath element, the movie uses its real-life basis to formulate a modern day fairy tale. It’s easy to criticize th...

In order to be successful, Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves needed to achieve at least three objectives: remain sufficiently faithful to its source material not to alienate the core audience, offer a broad enough story to attract non-gamers...

Emerging from its Cannes debut, Elemental has received mixed reviews. The reason for the lack of enthusiasm seems to be related to expectations by some critics that the film doesn’t take a more aggressive stance in the culture wars. There’s a ...

The Equalizer 3 is being advertised as the conclusion of a trilogy, although it’s really just a “more of the same” sequel, which can be a good thing for those who enjoyed the first two installments. Director Antoine Fuqua and star Denzel Was...