Don’t be misled by the movie poster and trailer, Arrival is a cerebral sci-fi thriller about the nature of time and the sequence of events in our lives. While there are visual aspects that are straight out of the Hollywood sci-fi tentpole alien invasion storyline, the film offers a slower and more thoughtful exploration of the core question that various human tribes have asked since the very first invasion: why are you here? The mysterious…Read More
Review: Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice
There’s something inherently epic about this greatest of showdowns, between an alien creature with superhuman powers and a man so full of rage that he pushes himself to the very limit of physical endurance, then adds innovative technologies to make him superhuman. Each has his origin story, with Batman being born out of the horror and pain of a young Bruce Wayne seeing his parents gunned down by a street thug in Gotham City, and Superman traveling…Read More
Review: Man Of Steel
A superhero that’s a product of his era, Superman showed up in the common culture back in 1938. It was World War II that highlighted the tension inherent in his super-human character, as Nazi Germany proclaimed the superiority of its own super-human race, Aryans. An über-patriotic American who even dressed in red, white and blue, Superman and his alter-ego Clark Kent was an idealized American in an era where it was becoming hard to identify…Read More
Review: Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian
Since Battle of the Smithsonian is the sequel to the popular film Night at the Museum, I should start this review by saying that I really enjoyed the first film and own a copy of it. My kids really like it too and we’ve watched it at least a dozen times. The core storyline in the first film was that divorced father Larry Daley (played by Ben Stiller) has a poor relationship with his son…Read More