The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2 Review
RATING: (2.5 STARS) A final film in a series shouldn’t need this much exposition. A final film in a series shouldn’t be so light on concluding excitement. A final film in a series shouldn’t have to force feed its viewers hackeneyed closure for its characters. A final film in a series shouldn’t be so lacking […]
Ranking the 2015 Blockbuster Movies
As if we didn’t need another reason to totally flip about the big movies of 2015, Comic-Con came and went this past week, and DC announced a Superman/Batman on-screen meeting about 24 months from now. Incidentally, we also got a nice nugget of news about another big superhero collaboration, 2015’s sequel to The Avengers (now […]
The Ten Best Films of 2012
2012 was a really interesting year in film. Many are singing its praises. “2012 is the new 1999,” they say. I’m not going that far. In fact, I’m reserving judgment for a few months more. Too much still needs to be taken in. Too many need a second look. Here’s what I will say: This […]
The Ten Best Films of 2012 So Far
It’s been a pretty good year so far at the movies. Yes, disappointments have littered cineplexes, but dig a little deeper, and the first two-thirds of 2012 have brought us some real gems. It always seems more appropriate for an August mid-year check-in, rather than a June one, because films are starting to hit DVD […]
The Hunger Games Review
RATING: (3.5 STARS) While reading Suzanne Collins’ novel, The Hunger Games, you’re immediately struck by the story’s cinematic potential. A dystopian future, an elaborate death match, and an angsty young-adult love triangle—what’s not to like? But with the good comes the potentially terrible—opulent cities with multi-colored buildings, the inevitable neutering down of the novel’s bloodier […]
Battle Royale Review
RATING: (4 STARS) When Quentin Tarantino named Battle Royale as his favorite movie of the past 20 years, my interest was immediately piqued. After researching the film, however, I had little desire to watch it. Who’d want to spend two hours watching children kill one another? It sounds despicable and horrifying. Well, something called The […]
