History of the World, Part II is Worth The Wait

At long last, History of the World, Part II is finally seeing the light of day and the sketch comedy series is worth the 40-plus year wait. I never thought I’d see the day. I binge-watched the eight episodes almost as quickly as Hulu sent the screeners. Listen, I know the series is premiering on a Jewish holiday but try and fit in some time to watch the two episodes as soon as possible. Believe…

"History of the World, Part II is Worth The Wait"

The Bad Guys Is A Redemption Story

From the outside looking in, The Bad Guys might be about bad guys but there’s a redemption story at the core of the film. Is there some sort of clause in Sam Rockwell’s contract where he is required to play characters with a redemption story? We’ve seen this so far in a few films now. Mind you, it’s been a few years since the last redemption story starring Rockwell. Maybe it’s the whole animation thing…

"The Bad Guys Is A Redemption Story"

The Harder They Fall Helps Right A Wrong

The Western has been making something of a comeback over the years and The Harder They Fall shows that the genre is far from dead. The gist of the film is that an outlaw, Nat Love aka “Deadwood Dick” (Jonathan Majors), learns that legendary outlaw Rufus Buck (Idris Elba) is being released from prison. As such, Nat gets his old gang together to get his revenge against his enemy. Nat’s gang includes Stagecoach Mary (Zazie…

"The Harder They Fall Helps Right A Wrong"

AFI FEST 2020: Nine Days

Nine Days features a unique take on the concept of life as one man has the sole power to decide which souls will be born on Earth. Will (Winston Duke) spends his days watching human life on older television sets thanks to videos recorded by Kyo (Benedict Wong).  Think of him as a gatekeeper as he watches people living their daily lives.  It’s a thankless job but I suppose somebody has to do it.  The…

"AFI FEST 2020: Nine Days"

Toronto 2019: Joker

Joker presents a new retelling of the character’s origins as a villain but the film fails so horribly on just about every single level. SPOILER ALERT: I apologize in advance for any spoilers but when it comes to reviews, please read at your own risk. There are so many problems with this film.  First of all, the Joker is a straight-out villain in the comics.  In prior movies, he has never once been presented in…

"Toronto 2019: Joker"

High Flying Bird: A Sports Film Without Sports

High Flying Bird shows that director Steven Soderbergh isn’t afraid of being an innovative filmmaker even if his retirement was premature. Soderbergh’s new film takes place during a pro basketball lockout.  More on the lockout later.  This is where we find sports agent Ray Burke (André Holland) in quite the pickle.  If the game isn’t in session, he can’t quite bring in the money to fund his career.  So he does the next best thing with…

"High Flying Bird: A Sports Film Without Sports"

Deadpool 2: A Wildly Entertaining Ride

Led by Ryan Reynolds as the Merc with a Mouth, Deadpool 2 is a wildly entertaining ride that ups the stakes after 2016’s hit predecessor. David Leitch takes over the director’s chair for Tim Miller but it is as if nothing has changed.  The screenplay is full of pop culture opportunities to joke about.  Honestly, it may be even more meta than the earlier film.  The jokes are all over the place. Jokes references include Deadpool‘s…

"Deadpool 2: A Wildly Entertaining Ride"