The French Dispatch Is Short of Masterpiece Status

The French Dispatch, Wes Anderson’s love letter to journalism especially The New Yorker, is a mostly good film that’s well worth the wait. This film is a series of vignettes focusing on a travelogue, art, student protests, and a police kidnapping. The four stories come from the final issue of The French Dispatch, based in the fictional French city of Ennui-sur-Blasé. Outside of the city, nothing ties them together. Together, the vignettes do feature an…

"The French Dispatch Is Short of Masterpiece Status"

What If…?: Animated Series Depicts A Different MCU

Marvel Studios’ What If…? takes what we know as the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) but delivers the animated action with a twist. The series draws on the Marvel Comics anthology series of the same name. Like the comic series, this is also an anthology series. We revisit key moments of the MCU through the eyes of Marvel newcomer Jeffrey Wright, who voices The Watcher, and see what would happen had characters done A instead of…

"What If…?: Animated Series Depicts A Different MCU"

No Sudden Move: Lens Choices Don’t Work Well

Steven Soderbergh is back with the Ed Solomon-scripted No Sudden Move but the lens choices are distracting to watch on a flat screen. On paper, this sounds like a fine film. In terms of execution, there are some rather distracting decisions being made. The lens choices just didn’t work with regards to home viewing. When they moved the dolly in order to follow the movement, it made for some distractions when the picture moved. It…

"No Sudden Move: Lens Choices Don’t Work Well"

Star Wars: The Last Jedi – Road to IX

Star Wars: The Last Jedi may or may not be the best film in the franchise but writer-director Rian Johnson delivers the goods in the eighth installment. What follows below the asterisks is the bulk of my original review–first published in 2017.  My feelings on this film have not changed in two years.  In fact, the film only improves with time.  Rian Johnson would turn out to be the perfect filmmaker to take on the…

"Star Wars: The Last Jedi – Road to IX"

Avengers: Infinity War – The Road to Endgame

The stakes have never been higher with the release of Marvel Studios’ Avengers: Infinity War. Ten years in the making, it all culminates in this epic crossover of a film.  All of our favorite heroes in one film save for Hawkeye and Ant-Man–neither of which were one the poster.  With this large of a cast, it a was a question going into the film of how would they be able to handle the appearances of…

"Avengers: Infinity War – The Road to Endgame"

Guardians of the Galaxy – The Road to Endgame

Make no mistake that Guardians of the Galaxy is one of the funniest movies that has ever been based on a Marvel comic book series. This film is so full of comedy, thrills, heart, and awesome visual effects.  What’s so surprising is that a film nobody ever thought would happen provides a whole lot of fun.  Credit this to Marvel finding properties that have potential to be hits.  This is exactly what this film is–a hit! If…

"Guardians of the Galaxy – The Road to Endgame"

Avengers: Infinity War – Now on Home Video

After breaking box office records, Marvel Studios’ Avengers: Infinity War can finally be yours now that the film has arrived on Digital HD this past week.  The 4K and Blu-ray/Digital release is set for August 14, 2018. Films like Avengers should be seen on the big screen but it holds up quite well on television.  Those final 40-45 minutes are among the most intense and action-packed cinema this year.  It’s amazing, really, to look back at…

"Avengers: Infinity War – Now on Home Video"

Avengers: Infinity War set for Home Video Release

After breaking box office records, Marvel Studios’ Avengers: Infinity War can be yours when it arrives on Digital on July 31, 2018, and 4K and Blu-ray/Digital on August 14, 2018. For those consumers who purchase the digital release, they can experience 30-minute roundtable with Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) directors Anthony and Joe Russo, Jon Favreau, Joss Whedon, James Gunn, Ryan Coogler, Peyton Reed and Taika Waititi.  All eight directors will speak to how their movies contribute to…

"Avengers: Infinity War set for Home Video Release"

Sicario: Day of the Soldado needed Emily Blunt

It’s not that Sicario: Day of the Soldado is a lot of movie without exposition but that the film really lacks the presence of Emily Blunt. Blunt’s character, as you may recall, was forced to sign paperwork at the end of the first film.  It makes perfect sense as to why her character, Kate Mercer, isn’t returning but it hurts the film.  The only two women with any kind of prominence in Taylor Sheridan’s screenplay…

"Sicario: Day of the Soldado needed Emily Blunt"

Avengers: Infinity War: The Stakes Are High

The stakes have never been higher with the release of Marvel Studios’ Avengers: Infinity War. Ten years in the making, it all culminates in this epic crossover of a film.  All of our favorite heroes in one film save for Hawkeye and Ant-Man–neither of which were one the poster.  With this large of a cast, it a was a question going into the film of how would they be able to handle the appearances of…

"Avengers: Infinity War: The Stakes Are High"