Let me take the mystery out of this review: Star Wars: The Force Awakens is good. It’s really good. You’re going to see it regardless of what I say, but trust me, you’re going to enjoy the heck out of it! Anyone who has been alive in the last fifty years knows the story arc of the Star Wars franchise, starting with 1977’s Star Wars IV: A New Hope, a film that introduced us to the great cinematic…Read More
Review: Guardians of the Galaxy
I really liked The Avengers, but there’s something inherently a bit dry about a group of self-important goody-goody characters. It’s the problem of Superman and Captain America (and yes, I know that Superman isn’t one of the Avengers. And never shall DC and Marvel overlap at the cineplex, alas). In fact, the only character who was any sort of relief from the tone was Tony Stark / Iron Man (Robert Downey, Jr), but his was…Read More
Review: Ender’s Game
Orson Scott Card’s book “Ender’s Game” stands as one of the best sci-fi titles ever written and is one of my personal favorites in the genre. Turning its sweeping story of alien invasion and complex war game simulations into a film that retains the ethical dilemma faced by the main character, Ender Wiggin has been a daunting task. Rumors of cinematic adaptations have swirled around the industry for almost 25 years. Director Gavin Hood took…Read More
Review: Cowboys & Aliens
There’s something timeless about a good Western, even if the genre has generally fallen out of favor with modern filmgoers. Sprinkle in some scary aliens, stunning special effects, and a terrific cast and the mashup film Cowboys & Aliensturns out to be a terrific and highly entertaining summer tentpole adventure. Set in sparsely populated New Mexico around 1875, the film starts with bad hombre Jake Lonergan (Daniel Craig) waking up in the middle of nowhere,…Read More
Critic vs. Critic: Inception
When I wrote in my review of Inception that I thought it was the best film of the summer and possibly of 2010, I didn’t realize it’d strike a nerve with my friend and fellow critic Christian Toto. It did, and we started debating the merits of the film, the end result being this back and forth that I hope you’ll find interesting and entertaining. No spoilers, don’t worry! Christian Toto: I wanted to love…Read More