Together Is More Theatrical, Less Cinematic

Together, the new Stephen Daldry film starring James McAvoy and Sharon Horgan, is the latest pandemic comedy to hit the market. Perhaps the biggest thing about the very minimal cast is that Together feels much like a theatrical two-hander with its staging and monologues. For the record, I felt this way before reading the production notes. According to the film’s production notes: “Kelly originally conceived of Together as a stage play. The rapid-fire dialogue and…

"Together Is More Theatrical, Less Cinematic"

Dark Phoenix closes out X-Men saga with a bang

Dark Phoenix makes for a satisfying conclusion to the X-Men series while we wait for the proper return of the mutants into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. “What you choose to do with your gift is entirely up to you,” Charles Xavier (James McAvoy) tells eight-year-old Jean Grey in 1975. While Simon Kinberg now moves into the director’s chair, he also makes up for the single worst X-Men film.  It’s no easy task.  For one, the…

"Dark Phoenix closes out X-Men saga with a bang"

X-Men: Apocalypse – The Road to Dark Phoenix

X-Men: Apocalypse may not be the satisfying third film in the series that one would like but it certainly does the job here. After being teased during a post-credits scene, we meet En Sabah Nur (Oscar Isaac) aka Apocalypse just before the transference.  The next thing we know, it’s 1983 and Moira MacTaggert (Rose Byrne) awakens the sleeping mutant.  This also launches an earthquake felt across the globe.  At the same time, Mystique frees Kurt…

"X-Men: Apocalypse – The Road to Dark Phoenix"

X-Men: Days of Future Past – Road to Dark Phoenix

X-Men: Days of Future Past is certainly one of the best films in the entire X-Men series and unites both the new and old casts with stakes on the line. After being set up in The Wolverine, the action starts in 2023.  By this point, the elder Charles Xavier (Patrick Stewart) and Erik Lehnsherr (Ian McKellan) have gotten over their differences.  The two of them are working together in order to save both mutants and…

"X-Men: Days of Future Past – Road to Dark Phoenix"

X-Men: First Class – The Road to Dark Phoenix

X-Men: First Class does a solid job in taking things back to where it all begin when both Charles Xavier and Erik Lehnsherr meet for the first time. A brief prologue lays the beginning foundations for Erik Lehnsherr (Michael Fassbender), Charles Xavier (James McAvoy), and Raven Darkhölme (Jennifer Lawrence).  I like that director Matthew Vaughn opts for a shot-for-shot recreation of the X-Men opening.  It’s a brilliant way to tie the new series into the…

"X-Men: First Class – The Road to Dark Phoenix"

Atomic Blonde: What if James Bond were a Kick-Ass Female?

Atomic Blonde is a Cold War version of James Bond if Agent 007 were a kick-ass female. Based on the Oni Press graphic novel series, The Coldest City, David Leitch directs from a screenplay written by Kurt Johnstad.  The action-thriller stars Charlize Theron, James McAvoy, John Goodman, Til Schweiger, Eddie Marsan, Sofia Boutella and Toby Jones. MI6 Agent Lorraine Broughton (Theron) is sent to Berlin at the end of the Cold War in 1989 to…

"Atomic Blonde: What if James Bond were a Kick-Ass Female?"