– By Joe Campbell – Spoilers below for the Black Mirror episode ‘Striking Vipers’. Black Mirror has been heralded as the new Twilight Zone, so much so that when CBS debuted a modern version of The Twilight Zone, many people wondered what the point was in a world where Black Mirror already existed. Created by British …
Producer-Director Friction Undermines ‘MIB: International’
(2019—Director: F. Gary Gray) — by Renard N. Bansale — ★★½ (out of 5 stars) “Always remember, the universe has a way of leading you to where you’re supposed to be at the moment you’re supposed to be there.” — High T (Liam Neeson) to Agent H (Chris Hemsworth) Potential spoilers below Besides the behemoth …
‘Dark Phoenix’: A Pitiful Farewell for Fox 2000’s X-Men Franchise
(2019—Director: Simon Kinberg) — by Renard N. Bansale — High ★★½ (out of 5 stars) “You’re not like the other doctors.” … “No, and you’re not like the other patients.” — Young Jean Grey (Summer Fontana) and Prof. Charles Xavier (James McAvoy) Potential spoilers below Ever since the release of the first film back in …
Field of Dreams: A Poignant Reflection on Father-Son Relationships
This article is part of our Classic Film Throwback series. – By Sam Hendrian – There is an old saying that we do not fully appreciate people or things until they are gone. This is often true for parent-child relationships, a theme which the 1989 sports/fantasy film Field of Dreams explores beautifully. The story of …
‘King of the Monsters’: Titan Duels Space Out Bloated Human Drama
(2019—Director: Michael Dougherty) — by Renard N. Bansale — High ★★½ (out of 5 stars) “You’re a monster.” “If I had the two of you as parents, I would’ve run away from home too.” — Chief Warrant Officer Jackson Barnes (O’Shea Jackson, Jr.) to Dr. Emma Russell (Vera Farmiga) and Dr. Mark Russell (Kyle Chandler) …
Deadwood: A Case Study on How to Execute a Masterful Opening Scene
– By Matthew Sawczyn – On May 31st, in a mere few hours, HBO’s critically acclaimed Deadwood will revive itself for one final shootout, in its culminating feature film of the same name. One final time, we viewers will set foot on the muddy thoroughfare of that the seedy mining town, seeking our fortune with …
John Wick vs. the Assassin Underworld in ‘Ch. 3—Parabellum’
(2019—Director: Chad Stahelski) — by Renard N. Bansale — High ★★★½ (out of 5 stars) “Si vis pacem, para bellum.” — Winston (Ian McShane) “There are rules. They are the only thing that separate us—” “—from the animals.” — The Adjudicator (Asia Kate Dillon) and Winston (Justice Smith) Potential spoilers below In 2014, actor Keanu …
The Emptiness of Success in ‘Fosse/Verdon’
– By Sam Hendrian – “You happy now?” These words are spoken by the perceptive writer Paddy Chayefsky (Norbert Leo Butz) to his troubled best friend Bob Fosse (Sam Rockwell) as he sits with a lap-full of awards in the backseat of a limo, and they brilliantly summarize the thematic core of FX’s biographical mini-series …