What do you do when you’ve made multiple successful films in New Zealand, graduated to Hollywood blockbuster franchise installments while maintaining your idiosyncrasies and then won an Academy Award? In the case of Taika Waititi, the answer is to make another blockbuster where the idiosyncrasies are even more pronounced, to an extent that may amuse…
Over the past decade, Marvel Studios have proved time and again their mastery of the superhero genre. Central to this success is the combination of superhero tropes with other genres: World War II film with “Captain America: The First Avenger,” conspiracy thriller with “Captain America: The Winter Soldier,” heist movie with “Ant-Man,” high school comedy…
Dusting off the smell of the superhero ensemble disappointment of “Justice League” comes the trailer for Avengers: Infinity War and it does not disappoint. Putting differences aside that forced a split between the Avengers in “Captain America: Civil War,” the heroes — with the aid of Black Panther, the Guardians of the Galaxy, Doctor Strange,…
SPECIAL GUEST REVIEWER: I am Groot. Much like our guest reviewer, I was delighted with Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. It balances action, humor, character dynamics and stunning effects both visual and practical with multiple plot strands and explorations of family, regret and reconciliation. It is all the more impressive considering what it has…
While a great deal of uninformed critics seem to be falling all over themselves about The Fate of the Furious (the Rotten Tomatoes website actually states, “The Fate of the Furious opens a new chapter in the franchise, fueled by the same infectious cast chemistry and over-the-top action fans have come to expect.”), the eighth…
Words cannot express how incredibly overwrought, insipid, hyperactive and foolishly exaggerated the third entry into the action-packed “xXx” film franchise is in the nonsensical and numbing operative spectacle, xXx: Return of Xander Cage. Monosyllabic muscle-bound action star Vin Diesel revisits the rollicking and roguish skin of athletic spy/sports enthusiast Xander Cage in yet another splashy…
Well, in case you were wondering, Drax the Destroyer (Dave Bautista) is still a big buffoon who doesn’t understand nuance. Peter Quill (Chris Pratt) still has the hots for Gamora (Zoe Saldana) who may finally be enjoying the attention. Rocket (Bradley Cooper) still has a hard-on for blowing things up, but mostly on display in…
