Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol is as timeless as stories come because its themes are universal and forever. Greed, lack of awareness of the consequences of our actions, and redemption are ubiquitous. It’s impossible to read or watch A Christmas Carol and not want to do something charitable or even… Continue reading
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
It’s almost impossible not to compare Robert Pattinson’s career arc with that of Leonardo DiCaprio. Both were teenage heart-throbs in iconic roles. Both took time off after said roles, then began taking on smaller projects to re-invigorate their careers as adults. Good Time, a frenetic and grimy crime thriller, is… Continue reading
For most people, simply being in the water near sharks is enough of a nightmare. Being forty-seven meters (154.2 feet for my fellow Americans) under the surface, bleeding, and with sharks circling is whole different beast. In 47 Meters Down, writer/director Johannes Roberts takes this seemingly simple narrative setup and… Continue reading
Travis’s grandfather is not well. As It Comes at Night opens, he has been infected with an unknown disease. His body is covered in open sores, his eyes black, and occasionally he contorts and vomits blood. He mercifully passes on, much to the family’s sadness but ultimate relief. The next… Continue reading
If nothing else, Bad Santa 2 certainly carries on the spirit of 2003’s Bad Santa. While the material isn’t near as fresh or well-written as it was thirteen years ago, the film still delivers the kind of rapid-fire insult humor and anti-Christmas vibe that propelled the original to cult status.… Continue reading
Following in the footsteps of 2014’s Gone Girl, The Girl on the Train is another grocery store potboiler turned into a sleek, albeit only moderately involving, thriller. Like Gone Girl, its story is exceedingly ludicrous but a crackling final half hour and fantastic performance from Emily Blunt save a first… Continue reading
It’s hard to believe it’s been over six years since the Deepwater Horizon blowout and subsequent oil spill, the worst in U.S. history as 210 million gallons of oil spilled into the Gulf of Mexico. While many likely have vivid recollections of the underwater camera showing oil pouring out of the well,… Continue reading
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
13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi embodies about what you’d expect out of a marriage between the political firestorm that is Benghazi and Michael Bay, the action director everyone seems to love to hate, despite the fact his films make hundreds of millions of dollars. What will surprise most… Continue reading