Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom is, for lack of a kinder way of saying it, a prehistoric mess. Nestled between a passable 2015 sequel and a bookend to the trilogy coming in 2021, it is sloppy staging for what’s sure to be an underwhelming and anticlimactic third effort. Chris Pratt (“Avengers: Infinity War”) and Bryce Dallas…
There is no missing the ubiquitous presence of muscular megastar Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson in the hearty mix of action-packed spectacles that seem to pop up on the big screen at an alarming rate. The heralded Hollywood hotshot has in recent years, with larger-than-life charm and muscles, convincingly taken over the mantle of being the…
Ron Howard’s Solo: A Star Wars Story has all the right intentions — meteoric pacing, a clear narrative arc, an extension of the space opera genre, a talented ensemble and a robust visual effects budget. What’s more, it boasts one of the most likable characters in modern cinematic history: Han Solo (now played by Alden…
Ignoring Thomas Wolfe’s observation that “You can’t go home again,” brothers Justin (Justin Benson, “Dementia”) and Aaron Smith (Aaron Moorhead, “Contracted: Phase II”), as an expression of completion, return to a California cult from which they had escaped ten years ago. Written and directed by Benson and Moorhead, The Endless is a low-budget psychological drama…
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…
The restless nights for “Star Wars” fans are over because the first full trailer for Solo: A Star Wars Story is here, arriving from a galaxy far far away. In it, Han Solo (Alden Ehrenreich) is, at least initially, just your basic ship pilot, looking for intergalactic adventure and to put some coin in his…
Steven Spielberg’s Ready Player One is nothing short of biblical for the pop culture enthusiast. More surprisingly, however, is the engaging narrative and even the likable cast of (young) characters. The expensive movie ran Warner Bros. $175 million, but Spielberg’s project does reap the benefits of that expense — with stellar CGI and a virtual…
