The Good, the Bad and the Ugly of The Last Jedi

Lucasfilm

     It’s hard to believe that one of the most divisive things in 2017 would be a Star Wars film, but here we are. The eighth installment in the main series, not counting Rogue One, is brought to us by Rian Johnson (Looper, The Brothers Bloom), and features the continuing adventures of Rey and Finn while also featuring the return of Luke Skywalker. So what could have possibly gone wrong with this to earn such a harsh audience reaction? Let’s try to answer that here.

Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri Review

tmc.io

     In the wake of Quentin Tarantino’s massive entrance in the early 90’s, a whole wave of imitators popped up to try and ride his movement to fame and fortune. While some like Guy Ritchie were successful, most had some one-offs and then fizzled away into obscurity. Then in 2007 the most recent of these imitators, a plucky Irishman named Martin McDonagh, burst onto the scene. With his two films In Bruges and Seven Psychopaths, McDonagh was able to successfully blend Tarantino-style filmmaking and storytelling with a very unique brand of dark humor and social observation. Does Three Billboards continue this winning streak? Let’s find out.

Roman J. Israel, Esq. Review

Eventbrite

     There are few actors who I will show up without fail on day one to support at the movies. Robert Downey Jr., Tom Hanks, Michael Keaton are just a few, but very few are at the level that Denzel Washington is for me. Denzel is the epitome of everything an actor should be: talented, charismatic and versatile, to the point where even his bad movies are enjoyable to watch just on his strengths alone. Pairing him with Dan Gilroy, the man who directed the incredible Nightcrawler, is just extra icing on the cake. So how does this one turn out? Let’s dive in.

mother! Review

Indiewire

     Paramount Pictures has been in a bit of a slump lately. Outside of Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation and Transformers: The Last Knight (debatable), their big budget films have not done all that well at the box office (with Ben-Hur being a staggering failure), and their Oscar bait just hasn’t latched on the way they probably wanted. Though I thought their last Oscar time movie, Silence, was an excellent film, I can see why they might want to up the ante a bit with their next entry. And so they turned to Darren Aronofsky, the man behind Requiem for a Dream, The Wrestler, and Black Swan. And the only thing I have to say is… Wow. Let’s just go ahead and dissect this thing.

How a Band I Hated Saved My Life

The Fuze Magazine

     “Dude, you have Linkin Park on your iPod?” That’s a question I’ve been asked more than a few times in my life, and my response was usually something snarky or feigned confusion. In reality I didn’t really know why this band was taking up valuable space (now fourteen songs’ worth), at least not at first. Now, especially after yesterday’s tragic events, I think I know the answer. First, though, let’s give a little history of me, Linkin Park, and how that clickbait-y title is actually the truth. It’s a bit of a doozy.

E3 2017 Predictions

E3

     It’s the most wonderful time of the year, people. And no, I’m not talking about Christmas, I’m talking about E3! The biggest video game expo of the year, where everybody who’s anybody in the gaming industry (minus one notable exception) comes together to show off their investors and fans the cool stuff they’ve got going on this year and in the near future. If you want coverage of E3 go check out the cool folks at IGN and keep an eye on their site, because that’s not what we’re doing here today. Predicting these things is always fun, and today I’ve brought in two friends of mine to help me out: Kevin from the Comic Book Revolution and Brandon from Gamers Pantheon, who I’ve collaborated with once before. The format is simple: for the big three companies (Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo), give six predictions of what you think you'll see this year. Fun, right?

13 Thoughts on 13 Reasons Why

The Mighty

     If you’re of a certain age, you can’t escape the Netflix phenomenon that is 13 Reasons Why. This tale of a teenage girl’s suicide, and the people she implicates as culprits in tapes she left behind, has captivated the world and led to a lot of discussion and debate. I personally enjoyed the show quite a bit, but my issues with it are too complicated to try and write out in a regular review, so I’m going to try something a bit different. Here’s my two cents (more like thirteen, amirite?) on 13 Reasons Why, for those still conflicted on jumping in.

What DC Can Learn From Logan

Coming Soon

     This past weekend, Hugh Jackman’s seventeen year-long run as the iconic superhero Wolverine came to an end with Logan, the first R-rated film starring the character and directed by James Mangold. Critics loved it, audiences love it, it’s doing extremely well worldwide, and I hold it as the best superhero movie since The Dark Knight back in 2008. In short, it’s a pretty damn good movie. Jackman gets a proper send-off, as does Patrick Stewart’s Charles Xavier, and we finally see the brutal violence Wolverine is known for along with a well-written, dark, dramatic and heartbreaking storyline that left this reviewer in tears more than once. It’s a smashing success for Fox and for comic book movies in general. 

     Now I know what some of you are thinking: a dark and more thoughtful superhero movie is getting praised… But what about DC? They’ve been doing that since Man of Steel, and everybody hates them for it! What makes Logan so good and not DC’s movies? Well, in short… Logan got great reviews because it’s a great movie, one with objectively good performances, expert direction, well-filmed action sequences, and a great script. Is it perfect? No, of course not, but it’s leagues above (pun intended) DC’s recent output, most of which have been savaged by critics and just barely approved by audiences. So DC faces a crisis: you can’t build a cinematic universe without unified critic and audience support, and good will based on the characters can only go so far. Since DC wants to be darker and more serious, I thought that I’d go through some of my favorite parts of Logan and see if it can help the Distinguished Competition improve their films and finally put up a real fight against Marvel.