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It’s unusual for a series lasting four movies to follow the consistent downward trend evidenced by The Matrix cycle. The first movie, 1999’s The Matrix, started things off with a bang. Sadly, the first sequel, 2003’s The Matrix Reloaded, was...

Maverick may be as close as anything comes to a perfect summer movie (as opposed to a perfect movie). It has great action sequences, more than a splash of legitimately-funny humor, solid performances from engaging actors, and a script that doesn't...

"I don't believe in heaven. I believe in pain. I believe in fear. I believe in death." So states Max Payne (Mark Wahlberg), elucidating his nihilistic creed during the film's opening moments. While the movie bearing the title character's name h...

Despite a strong opening and riveting first 45 minutes, The Maze Runner devolves into one of the weakest post-apocalyptic Young Adult movies to reach theaters in recent years. The film's inability to sustain the energy it starts with results in a d...

If I knew definitively what the plural was for the term deus ex machina, I’d apply it here. Rarely can I remember a movie filled with so many miraculous rescues and associated contrivances. The Death Cure represents the final chapter in a mo...

In the pantheon of YA ("Young Adult") dystopian book-turned-movie series, if The Hunger Games occupies the pinnacle then The Maze Runner sits in the basement. After an encouraging and engaging first half of the first film, The Maze Runner h...

At first glance, one could assume this is just another "cancer romance", but such a glib description does Me and Earl and the Dying Girl a disservice. As brought to the screen by director Alfonso Romez-Rejon and writer Jesse Andrews (adapti...

Me and Orson Welles is about the theater, or at least the theater as it was in the 1930s. Based on the semi-fictional novel by Robert Kaplow and set in New York City around the time of the opening of the Mercury Theater, the film is rich in period ...

Spoilers: This review contains spoilers for those who haven’t read the source material and/or don’t know where the story is going. There are bad tearjerkers and good tearjerkers. There are Nicolas Sparks films and movies like Me Before...

Although Mean Girls is likely to be frequently compared to Heathers, and perhaps occasionally to Election, the movie it most strongly reminds me of is 1999's Jawbreaker. All four of these films offer a darkly satirical perspective of high school a...