Kingsman: The Golden Circle (2017)

Kingsman: The Golden Circle (2017)

Kingsman: The Secret Service emerged as one of the biggest surprises of 2015; an astute and self-aware roast of the spy movie genre (read: Bond movies) that delivered almost incomprehensible carnage with sly wit and likeable characters. Easier said than done. Most importantly, it didn’t take itself remotely seriously and,… Continue reading

Deadpool (2016)

Deadpool (2016)

Deadpool is just the swift kick to the junk the superhero genre – one that has taken itself entirely too seriously for far too long and gotten away with it – needs. Profane, hyper-violent, and never hesitant to take things a step or two beyond overkill, the film is an interesting and… Continue reading

The Revenant (2015)

The Revenant (2015)

At its most fundamental, The Revenant is as spare and simple a revenge story as they come. A man, betrayed by those he trusted, is left for dead only to survive and seek revenge. It’s with brute savagery and dreamlike beauty that director/co-writer Alejandro González Iñárritu (director of last year’s best… Continue reading

Spectre (2015)

Spectre (2015)

With Spectre, the James Bond series has once again reached a crossroads. The decision can really be simplified down to this: do we want to continue this dark, gritty charade or actually have some fun again? Spectre, despite its lush locales and trademark superb action set pieces, is a mostly… Continue reading

Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)

Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)

The law of diminishing returns strikes big-time in Avengers: Age of Ultron, an overstuffed mess of one-note characters, gaudy, incomprehensible CGI, and really, really bad one-liners. It’s so unexpected that you almost forget how fresh The Avengers was three short years ago, and what a welcome reprieve it was from the… Continue reading

Jupiter Ascending (2015)

Jupiter Ascending (2015)

Jupiter Ascending takes the trailer approach to filmmaking, meaning each shot looks perfectly crafted for a two second appearance in a two-minute trailer. When tasked with creating a coherent film from said clips, the results are disastrous. This is one of the more misguided space operas of recent memory, and… Continue reading

The Boxtrolls (2014)

The Boxtrolls (2014)

The Boxtrolls is another dark, edgy, macabre story from the same team that brought us ParaNorman and Coraline. If you’ve seen one or both of those films, you’ll have a pretty good idea of what to expect here. Directors Graham Annable and Anthony Stacchi and their team have created some of… Continue reading

Interstellar (2014)

Interstellar (2014)

Christopher Nolan’s Interstellar is a movie about love. It may travel through black holes, light years, and galaxies, but the basic fact that we, as humans, yearn to take care of and love the ones closest to us is the overarching theme. The film is Nolan’s most ambitious yet and is destined to… Continue reading

The Expendables 3 (2014)

The Expendables 3 (2014)

Expectations are usually set in concrete by the time the third entry of a franchise is reached, and The Expendables 3 is no exception. You know you’re in for a lot of action, cheesy one-liners, and the kind of plot that can be hung from a clothesline. On that level,… Continue reading

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2014)

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2014)

Bringing the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles to the big screen has been one of the more interesting cinematic case studies of the past twenty-plus years. Whether live action, animation, or, in this case, motion-capture combined with live action, it’s pretty much impossible for the turtles not to be some combination of… Continue reading