Films — especially those in the genre of comedy — can often be enjoyable and interesting without really having anything of importance to say. Sex Ed, on the other hand, has something valuable to say, but its method of communication is somewhat lacking. That’s not to say it isn’t at all enjoyable or interesting, but…
Sequels, warranted or not, are a mostly foregone conclusion in today’s cinematic climate. They’re so prevalent, I imagine a checklist of sorts exists that lays out the criteria for a follow-up. It’d be rather simple-minded too, like: Based on a multi-book franchise or video game with a built in audience? Sequel. Made a ton of…
In The Shower (now retitled “Killer Party”), a group of Los Angeles suburbanites gather for a baby shower, only to find themselves in the middle of a pandemic that appears to change people into roving zombies. Alex Drummond’s directorial debut is amusing, but the plot and action are stretched a little too thinly for a…
The modern explosion of stereoscopic 3D cinema has been many things in many different filmmakers’ hands, but it’s never quite been whatever it is that French New Wave pioneer and long-time experimenter Jean-Luc Godard has done with it. Whereas before the technology ranged from irrelevant to immersive, Godard has now brought it to a place…
In To Be Takei, the titular George Takei gives his viewers — and plethora of Facebook fans — a good, hard look at his personal day-to-day life, as an Internet sensation, as a renowned voice-over artist, and as a doting husband. The authorized bio-pic is illuminating and wildly entertaining. We all knew George Takei was…
Sometimes, all a cliché needs is to be injected with some life, and we will remember why it became a cliché in the first place. Around the Block is the perfect example of this, as a small but substantial film that provides a fresh take on the trope of an enthusiastic new teacher determined to…
Though we know very little about some of the great artists of the past, many say that it is not important because we have the works. Yet the world still longs for knowledge about the living, breathing human being, the man or woman behind the name on the painting or the title page. This element…
