Avengers: Infinity War Review

Marvel Studios

     Ten years ago, Marvel Studios turned a then C-list hero into a massive box office hit with Iron Man, while also promising something much more ambitious. Samuel L. Jackson walked out at the end and promised us a universe of heroes, one like we’d never seen before, and for me it just seemed to good to be true. Well, cut to ten years later and now we have this film, the supposed culmination of a decade’s worth of movies and characters. While I have grown considerably more cynical and critical of these movies than I once was, I did want to see how the Russo brothers would pull this whole thing together. Do they succeed? Let’s find out.

In Memoriam: Avicii

P

     I still remember the first time I heard the song “Wake Me Up.” I was driving to school, flipping through radio stations when this weird, country-sounding song popped on. As the song went on and the amazing vocals of Aloe Blacc filled my ears, I was stunned to find later on that this was actually a dance song, a product of the burgeoning genre known as EDM (electronic dance music). This was my introduction to Avicii (real name Tim Bergling), the Swedish DJ who passed away last Friday at the age of 28, leaving behind a massive impact and legacy despite his young age. Let's take a bit of your time to talk about this very talented guy, and why I loved him so much.

Isle of Dogs Review

     There are few directors out there quite like Wes Anderson, one of the few directors really deserving of the term “auteur.” His films are unabashedly quirky, goofy, and downright strange, though to varying degrees. His last film, The Grand Budapest Hotel, finally earned him some Oscar love in the major categories, so I was curious as to which direction he would take his career next. Does his new film, the stop-motion Isle of Dogs, carry on the quality? Let’s find out!

Pacific Rim Uprising Review

Universal

     Back in 2013, Oscar-winning director Guillermo del Toro delivered the ultimate fanboy film in Pacific Rim: a movie where people in giant robots punched giant monsters in the face a lot. It was an ambitious project, and while it bombed here it did pretty incredible numbers in the ever-reliable Asian market. Now, the sequel is finally released and we get to see more of our favorite rock-em-sock-em action once more! With Guillermo gone, is the magic still there? Let’s find out!

The Assassination of Gianni Versace Review

FX

     Last year, uber-producer Ryan Murphy brought us a little television show you might have heard of called The People v. OJ Simpson. Billed as the first season of a new anthology series, it tapped into the public’s lingering fascination with the controversial trial and was widely celebrated by critics and audiences alike. There was a lot of anticipation for the next season, and what Murphy chose to focus on was something a little more obscure, to say the least. Does this new season live up to the first, or is Versace trapped in the shadow of OJ? Let’s find out!

Oscar Predictions: The Actresses, Director, and Best Picture

The Academy Awards

     So I know I missed the one yesterday but hey, it’s the big day! Time to get cracking because I have some serious predictions to make! We’re talking actresses, who might be winning the director award, and which movie will be bringing home the ultimate prize! Will there be any surprises this time? We’ll see! 

Oscar Predictions: The Actors

The Academy Awards

     Today, on my newly minted Oscar predictions rundown series, we’re going to talk about one of the most competitive Oscar races and one that is probably the most predictable one: the actors races! Could there be any surprises in this lineup of nominees? Or should we just go ahead and give it to Daniel Day-Lewis now? Let’s find out!

2018 Oscar Predictions: The Screenplays

The Academy

     March 5th is the big day, folks: Oscar night! All the best (arguably) movies of the last year come together to be celebrated by Hollywood’s elite and to be skipped by everyone else. Yes, it’s very self-celebratory, but for a film nerd like me I do like to see how the awards go down and who walks away the big winner. With that being said, from this day until Sunday I will be posting my predictions and thoughts on the nominees. Today, let’s take a look at the nominees for the two big writing awards: Adapted and Original Screenplay!

Annihilation Review

Paramount Pictures

     Paramount Pictures is in a bit of a rut right now, having faced the loss of a major production partner and a couple years of mostly duds. Just in the past year, the company has not released a film that you would consider a hit, with a few being barely profitable and others downright bombing. This has included films that are actually good like mother!, but in the face of these difficulties they have decided to remove the risk by dumping Annihilation onto Netflix (ala The Cloverfield Paradox) in every country except America, Canada and China. So does that mean that this film, from the writer-director of Ex Machina, is a dud? Let’s find out!

Back Issues: Gearing Up for Black Panther

Marvel Studios

     Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you know that Marvel’s Black Panther is coming out this Friday, and word on the street is that people really really love it. So, because I personally care more about the comics than the films based on them, I want to use this hype to try and bring some attention to the best stories featuring our favorite African monarch. This is your homework, folks, and you wouldn’t want to let the king down, would you? Let’s get started!

The Top 10 Movies of 2017

     No need to beat around the bush here, I know what we’re all here for! 2017 was a great year for movies, and this was an interesting list to make. Just to get it out of the way, you will probably not agree with everything on this list, and there are plenty of movies I did not see. Enough intro-ing, let’s do this!