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! 

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.

How to Make Good Video Game Movies

Nerds on the Rocks

     Assassin’s Creed opened up this weekend, and despite all the highest hopes of gamers around the world, it sucked. Unlike other craptastic films, though, it’s not on track to do a lot of business, leaving many people to wonder if we will ever get a good video game movie. I mean, this year had so many opportunities and they all failed, so what hope do we have? Well, as a film lover and a huge gamer, let me just toss in my two cents.