There’s something about misfits that seems to fit the worldview of comic book fans. Whether it’s the motley Guardians of the Galaxy, the slightly less slacker Avengers or, in this latest comic book film, Suicide Squad. Like The Expendables, Suicide Squad is made up of tough, dangerous criminals who are pulled out of an ultra-maximum security prison because the world needs ’em to combat an unspeakable evil. Created by the tough-as-nails bureaucrat Amanda Waller (Viola Davis),…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
Best and Worst Films of 2010
According to Movieweb, there were 651 films released in 2010 and no, I didn’t see them all. In fact, there are some movies still on my to-watch list that I know will affect this article (including The Fighter and The Kids are All Right), but I hope to see them soon and add some additional commentary at that point. For now, however, I figure I saw maybe 100-150 new films this year, both clunkers and superb…Read More
Review: The Town
The Town is built upon a cinematic cliché, the repentant criminal who finds it almost impossible to escape his surroundings, environment and peers. Fortunately, director Ben Affleck does a terrific job with the source material and has produced a gritty, exciting and satisfying crime film that ranks with the best of its genre. The film opens up with a bank robbery, and it’s clear immediately that this isn’t a suave, sophisticated gang of thieves who…Read More
Review: Extract
Can an entirely predictable storyline with snappy dialog and an amusing setup produce a film that’s worth watching? With most directors, the answer would be no, but Mike Judge, who mastered the nuances of everyday conversation and situations with the hit Office Space, has accomplished just that in the new comedy Extract. Part of what I like to see in movies is the gradual unveiling of the story, where the true allegiance of characters is…Read More