Movie Reviews
Captain Marvel
Once more, once more into the breach, my friends, I charge into the theater in the fading hope that a new superhero movie is worth watching. This one seemed at least a little promising. I really like Bree Larson, and her costume didn’t look like some 13-year-old boy’s fantasy of the girl he would most like to … well, you know. Anyway, though a black superhero is innately more interesting ... Read more »
They Shall Not Grow Old
Peter Jackson’s grandfather served in the Great War, the one we now call World War I. This led to a fascination with the war. He became a collector, with a huge wardrobe of uniforms, an arsenal of rifles, and heaps of other paraphernalia. And, being Peter Jackson, a very rich man from having directed six Tolkien movies, he has actual military vehicles and artillery pieces. If anyone wanted ... Read more »
Bohemian Rhapsody
I guess this mostly revolves around what you think about Freddie Mercury, Queen, and Freddie’s magnum opus, “Bohemian Rhapsody.” For myself, I think Mercury was a major talent, but I was never really a fan of Queen. As for the song, I think it is highly overrated. Every time I hear it I get impatient for it to end. And the lyrics? Mama! Killed a man. Bismallah! Scaramouche, Scaramouche, ... Read more »
Prospect
I wanted to see this on the strength of several reviews that held it up as an example of what can still be done on a small budget (under $4 million, which is tiny these days). It premiered at the SXSW festival in Austin, to favorable reviews. Most of the people who made it were first-timers, including Christopher Caldwell and Zeek Earl, the writer-directors, and most of the crew. There is ... Read more »
Welcome to Marwen
One evening in 2000 Mark Hogencamp, an artist in Kingston, New York, was beaten, stomped, and kicked nearly to death by five sub-humans because he had the audacity to admit that he liked to wear women’s shoes. (I wasn’t able to find out what happened to all of them, but one was sentenced to nine years. He appealed. Lost. Hurrah! I would have given him at least ... Read more »
Venom
The well of “Marvel Universe” characters, something I know very little about, is apparently bottomless. Lower your bucket to the upper waters and you pull up Spiderman. Drop down a lot lower and you dredge up concepts like this one. It’s some sort of symbiote that has no trouble erupting from its host, increasing its mass tenfold instantaneously, and then slipping back inside and hiding, ... Read more »
Ralph Breaks the Internet
I was quite enthusiastic about Wreck-It Ralph, and this sequel is even better. Sarah Silverman is back as Vanellope, and Jane Lynch as the super-soldier. Vanellope is glitching, turning into static now and then, and still obsessed with winning the races in her game, Sugar Rush. It is all wonderful, but two things stand out over all the ingenious stuff. One is the ... Read more »
The Mule
Clint Eastwood’s most recent (and quite possibly his last) acting and directing jobs. I recall the story of two grannies who were arrested smuggling huge quantities of heroin from Mexico into the U.S. Because, I mean, who would suspect these nice little old ladies? This is a true story of an old man who worked as a drug mule for the cartels. He is eventually caught, of course (or he’d ... Read more »
Filmworker
If you have seen Barry Lyndon (and if you haven’t and can tolerate an unusually slow pace, go see it at once!) you will remember the adult Lord Bullingdon, who engages in the climactic, stunning duel at the end. He was played by Leon Vitali, a successful stage actor with a few screen credits. Then he just left his career to become Stanley Kubrick’s assistant for ... Read more »
Veronica Mars
Every once in a while a show comes on the TV that I hear good things about, but I am never able to find the time to watch. Shows that I think I may like. There’s only so many hours in the day, and I have to write. So I missed Buffy the Vampire Slayer, which I think I might have enjoyed. There are several others I won’t bother to list. Having seen this movie I ... Read more »