Tributes and the flutters of nostalgia exist for the weirdest things in the oddest places, even for a cheesy 1997 movie that made $65 million after being #1 for two whole weeks. It was a helluva time to be alive then, and it’s helluva time to be alive now to see Anaconda both lampooned with love and gilded with the guts of its many victims…err… fans.
Read MoreBy patiently unfurling extra story depth out of what could have been a cocktail napkin story idea that rolled from one set of dirty bedsheets to another with little further development than fulfilling horny kicks. When things get harsh and dicey, and the roasting commentary on privilege becomes more apparent, Feig still varnishes with a suave coolness that is undeniably appealing.
Read MoreHugh Jackman, showing off his guitar-plucking talent onscreen with his well-known golden pipes, is eminently qualified for a movie like Song Sung Blue. His musical theater roots made him a cinch to be the consummate frontman for this jukebox musical. The more impressive revelation is Kate Hudson, bringing her lifelong piano skills and singing voice back to the big screen alongside her best attempt at a Wisconsin squawk. There is zero fake-it-til-you-make-it cheating or shortcuts with these two, and their combined charisma is dynamite.
Read MoreWhere James Cameron previously succeeded in his lengthy epics was when scripts were flipped at some point to shift power dynamics and emotional anchors dramatically. Look no further than the leap and advancement from The Terminator to T2. Shockingly, a copy machine was used in place of a springboard, and the disappointing storytelling results show—no matter how pretty it all looks.
Read MoreThe extremes between comedy and trauma are woeful and disorienting. The more she’s tuned out or weighted down by nutty anxiety, the more we, the audience, are squelched from hearing and being inspired by the full gusto potential of Ella. It’s colossally disappointing Ella McCay did not do better by the character the audience needed to root for.
Read MoreThere’s an energy—an intoxicating and exhausting fix—to hitchhiking on this downward spiral. However, when it’s all said and done in this male-dominated affair, you’re back to scrounging for or justifying the satisfaction or dissatisfaction of Lesson #3 and the fact that this is, once again, a tizzy made for ping pong.
Read MoreYet, here’s Max Walker-Silverman, following up the well-received A Love Song, with a drama that emphasizes true familial roots before anything else. When done right, those basics are bigger than any flashy extras. Instead of only “home is where your heart is,” Rebuilding asserts that home is where you are welcome, and, even after everything, Dusty says it like it is: “I don’t like anywhere better.”
Read MoreVenturing into this version of the admittedly terrifying and therapeutic unknown, Is This Thing On? asks incredible and intelligent questions that actually get chewed on with civility and dignity, ignoring the urge to shout hot drops of dialogue to the rhetorical rafters solely meant to let an actor show off. The intimate immediacy of these stellar conversations lets loose stern answers and bold examinations about relationships.
Read MoreHamnet postulates that the epic tragedy of Hamlet was William’s deeply personal response to the death of his son. Now, that crescendo of catharsis is merely the final third of Farrell’s novel and Chloe Zhao’s masterful film. A reaction-inducing climax and conclusion like that could only come from an equally important effort to establish the beautiful and challenging humanity of the people going through their ordeal.
Read MoreMake a movie or show about a real-life serial killer with an actual body count of documented victims that used to live among us, and you’re frosting spines, locking your doors, and doom-scrolling the true story. Make a sly, stylish, spooky, or quirky movie of imaginary people getting slain in grandiose fashion, and you’re popping extra popcorn, smiling with delight, and relaxing anxiety-free on your couch. What a funny and fascinating development that is!
Read MoreTo fully accept the societal and emotional terrains of Hikari’s outstanding dramedy Rental Family, one is required not so much to make an enormous leap into a lurid scenario, but rather, let’s say, a long step. You will need a stretched lunge forward that closes the typical arm’s length of observational distance from something you don’t entirely know or accept. That gingerly-taken step merges you into a different comfort zone than your own
Read MoreMatching the changing weather and seasons happening in much of the world during the time of its illustrious release, Wicked For Good requires more than one firm temperature check, if you will. This bookend finale asks a great deal of its audience with a decidedly different mood, as the plot leaps five years ahead in time from the events of last year’s Wicked. Much of the bright, sunny, and friendly school-aged singing and dancing has evolved to power ballads that emote the traumatic heft of current circumstances.
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