‘Captain Marvel’ Movie Details from SDCC 2017

How excited are you for Marvel’s first female solo film? Marvel announced that Brie Larson would be starring in Captain Marvel at last year’s San Diego Comic-Con International but we didn’t find out anything else about the story or the character whose civilian name is Carol Danvers. This year, president of Marvel Studios Kevin Feige […]

Natalie Portman’s ‘Jackie’ delves past the image, and into the person

The depth and range of Natalie Portman’s portrayal of our nation’s 35th First Lady will likely carry Jackie to the Oscars this winter. Introverts rarely get their due on screen because reserved folks with active minds are hard both to write and play. This biopic accomplishes the feat and also manages to deliver a respectable […]

‘Arrival’ is a 21st century alien movie and it’s damn good

Arrival should draw more than just science fiction diehards with an engrossing movie that burns both slow and deep. Far from the us-versus-them alien movies of yore, say Independence Day, director Denis Villeneuve’s newest addition to the genre is more Cold War than War of the Worlds. This is a 21st century alien movie and it’s […]

In ‘Zootopia’ Women Help Women Get By

If you missed the big superhero movie this week, it’s probably because you went to see the new Disney masterpiece Zootopia instead. Although it’s not uncommon for a family film to be packed with ethical lessons, Zootopia goes aggressively after current political topics, including bigotry, law enforcement, culturally mixed societies, and bullying. It handles them with […]

‘Ghostbusters’ Official Trailer Premieres: Who You Gonna Call?

Sony has released the long-awaited official trailer for the sure-to-be summer blockbuster Ghostbusters. Set 30 years after the last Ghostbusters were working on bustin’ ghosts, the film stars Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig, Kate McKinnon, and Leslie Jones as the new all-female taskforce set on defeating some ghosts. McCarthy plays ghost researcher Abby Yates, Wiig plays physicist Erin Gilbert, McKinnon plays […]

Ranking The 2016 Oscar Shorts: Live Action

Whatever complaint you want to lobby against the Oscars, you’re no doubt right. The Oscars are indeed #SoWhite and #SoWrong. But there are categories that the Oscars get correct that nobody talks about, because they’re the smaller ones, the ones featuring works of art that most of the movie-going public won’t see, or frankly, care […]

Ranking The 2016 Oscar Shorts: Animation

‘The Witch’ Withstands The Hype With Star-Making Turns

I’ve been hearing about how terrifying and incredible The Witch (or The VVitch) is since last year’s Sundance Film Festival, when writer-director Robert Eggers won the U.S. directing award for his indie horror film. It’s oftentimes hard for a movie to withstand that kind of hype, but I managed to maneuver around spoilers, trailers and […]

‘Deathgasm’ Is Another Delirious Example of New Zealand Indie Horror

It’s easy to be cynical about everything, but I think it’s worth pointing out that we live in a world where a gross-out metal movie called Deathgasm has an 88% on Rotten Tomatoes. Yin and yang, you know? It’s not often you find a movie bursting with decapitations and dildos that also has a heart, […]

Steve Guttenberg Is a Superhero In Blessedly Ridiculous ‘Lavalantula’

If you’re anything like me, when you hear the words Steve Guttenberg and fire-breathing spiders, you’re in. Blessedly, the Syfy creature feature and wannabe Lavalantula is everything you want it to be. It has a shirtless, sweaty and self-aware Steve Guttenberg, who not only calls out act breaks, but complains to his agent: “I hate bugs. […]