by Kevin Gardner
Everyone knows that there is nothing that can get you quite as emotional, excited, or invested like a good movie, and there are plenty of good movies out there. Watching movies about health and wellness might have the power to get you to cut down on your sugar intake, and watching movies about rescue pets might push you to adopt an animal. Therefore, watching a movie about climate change might just get you invested in environmental justice.
Read Moreby Nicholas H. Parker
Mad Max: Fury Road is one of the best action films ever made, and it's being recognized not only for its incredible vehicular mayhem, but for its introduction of one of the strongest female action heroes seen in the cinema: Imperator Furiosa played by the excellent Charlize Theron. The film is named after Mad Max (Tom Hardy), but the film could arguably actually be led by Theron's redemption seeking desert-badass, a war rig General to an evil dictator that has finally had enough and decides to steal his most precious possession: His model wives that serve as his breeding stock. Theron not only fights Max to a draw (with one arm, no less!) but also reveals herself to be fearless, as she rams her monster rig through pursuing war parties, and dangles on the outside of speeding vehicles. In honor of Imperator Furiosa, here are the top ten female action heroes of all time.
Read Moreby John M. Caviness
Everyone knows what a Navy SEAL is. These secretive commandos are so uniquely popular in our American culture that they've become like celebrities. Whether it's jumping into an NFL football game, or having characters based on them in the latest video games, SEALs are assumed by Americans the country over to be the best of the Special Forces community. And because they are so very popular, they've popped up in many films, especially within the last two decades. Not all of these films though obtain the quality of character that is required of SEALs themselves. Here are the worst.
Read Moreby Diane H. Wong
There are thousands of inconsequential action films: Uninspired, rote, and derivative of everything that has come before. Who remembers 1992's Freejack starring Emilio Estevez and Mick Jagger? Or Costner in 2014's 3 Days to a Kill? These are films that are forgotten almost as quickly as they're released for the simple reason that they are just photocopy templates of much better action films. And then there are the tentpole pictures, the influential action films, the ones that decades later, everyone still remembers, the films that have earned a place in our cultural collective. These are the films that inspire all the many other thousands of copycat films.
Read Moreby Hannah Butler
The ability to move back and forth in time has long fascinated writers and filmmakers. H. G. Wells popularized the idea in 1895 with his novel The Time Machine, which has had multiple film and TV adaptations. Since then the notion of traveling through time – whether through deliberate choice or bizarre accident – has been a popular theme in movies. Here are the ones that will likely survive the test of time.
Read Moreby William S. Andrews
Criminal investigations in the military are a bit different than in the civilian world. There are consequences to speaking as a witness when half the community's population outranks you. Plus, it's a community filled with people who kill for a living. Consequently, criminal investigations that take place in the military can be very thrilling and vastly entertaining to watch on film. Or, depending on the filmmaker, they can also be really painful. Here are the best and the worst criminal investigation war movies.
Read Moreby Richard L. Woodard
What was once great love I felt for the Terminator franchise has turned into hate, most especially after seeing Terminator Genisys. Prior to seeing the film, I wrote an article attempting to explain the increasingly convoluted chronology, as well as an article detailing the plot holes in the franchise thus far. Then after watching the film, which was horrible, I realize both that the chronology is completely destroyed and I have to write this article just to focus on the plot holes in this one film! Arnold Schwarzenegger, if you ever make another Terminator film, a pox on your house!
Read Moreby Rebecca Shinn
There is nothing like enjoying a cozy night of holiday movies with someone you cherish. During the lockdown, it is a very welcome choice indeed. Staying in and having a safe but entertaining time is all the more important nowadays. We will give you a list of the most loved holiday movies so you won't run out of great options to watch.
Read Moreby Lafronda Stumn
As busy I get from time to time, I find that I can't see every movie under the sun, leaving my friends and colleagues to fill in the blanks for me. As poetically as I think I wax about movies on this website as a wannabe critic, there are other experts out there. Sometimes, it inspires me to see the movie too and get back to being my circle's go-to movie guy. Sometimes, they save me $9 and you 800+ words of blathering. In a new review series, I'm opening my site to friend submissions for guest movie reviews.
Read MoreBack in May, I joined Mike Crowley’s You’ll Probably Agree podcast with Ian Simmons of Kicking the Seat and Pat McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com in discussing the state of movie theaters knee deep during this pandemic. Things looked brighter then. Now, six months later, with a spiking virus, streaming business moves, and conpanies closing or circling bankrupcies? Not so much. The four of us took to Mike’s YouTube channel recently to ponder the uncertain future. Enjoy this spirited conversation! I’m sure we’ll be doing it again soon.
Read MoreMuch to her flexible power for sardonic comedy or reckless abandon, actress Aubrey Plaza has a look. It’s not entirely a scowl. It’s not entirely a cynical grin. Deeming it a case of “resting bitch face” would be a dismissal to grander notions going on behind those eyes and curved lips. No, it’s more than that. It feels like all of the possible come-hither coyness mixed with all of the possible perilous threat her presence can express. She’s a puzzle, and it’s quite alright to love that about her.
Read MoreWhat folks are going to find with the escalating thriller Wander is a screwy little movie saved by committed performances. The trouble comes when the committed performance comes from the character that should be (and ends up) committed in the clinical sense. Be ready to question everything in Wander because the audience lens and main character is a rooting-tooting conspiracy theorist, yarn-and-tape boards with newspaper clippings and all, who makes his scratch as a private investigator. The unreliable narrator energy is strong, but that’s the entertainment when you make it to the finish.
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