For those who believe sequels are and integral part of the filmmaking process, I present the following recent exhibits: “The Hangover Part II,” “Star Trek Into Darkness,” “Avengers: Age of Ultron” and “Ted 2.” Yes, I realize there are also other examples where the sequel bested the original, such as “The Godfather Part II,” “Superman…
I can see the allure for some — those that have amassed countless hours playing and lost relationships because of — with the upcoming video game adaptation, Warcraft, but for me it is too reminiscent of “The Hobbit” trilogy. That is, it has readily defined races that are traditionally enemies (in this case humans and…
There is something satisfying about five thirty-something men going into an afternoon screening of an animated “children’s” film that features talking animals, and noting other audience members of a similar age. That was my experience of Zootopia (re-named “Zootropolis” in the UK), as myself and four friends of a similar age found ourselves in a…
The Marvel Cinematic Universe keeps marching forward, even with, as some would say, their lesser echelon characters leading the way. In this case it’s Stephen Strange, coming at us in the upcoming fantasy tale, Doctor Strange. How exactly he’s going to fit into the MCU puzzle is still a closely guarded secret, but one thing…
The film has the personality of a Playstation best-seller, scenes like the strip club shootout and rooftop royal rumbles seem like clips straight from Grand Theft Auto 5 or Far Cry.
Named after an old chain gang work song about the light of a passing train being a symbol of redemption, Jeff Nichols’ (“Mud”) Midnight Special is an enigmatic science-fiction thriller about a boy with special powers and his parents whose bridge of love between them knows no worldly boundaries. Set in the American South, the…
At one time, DC ruled the super hero genre uncontested, from the creation of “Superman” in 1938, to the Caped Crusader’s debut a year later. Both ruled short film and TV kingdoms from “Adventures of Superman” (with George Reeves) in the 1950s to the campy, but entertaining “Batman” (starring Adam West, which ran from 1966-68)….
