MovieFinatics

Unsung Cinema: Buffalo Soldiers (2001)

Some movies, as they say, are right up your alley, and Gregor Jordan’s Buffalo Soldiers is an example of a film that exudes a mood that I identify with. Notably, in this case, a somewhat cynical outlook on life in general. Buffalo Soldiers is different from many Army movies because …

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Tetris Stretches Thin Material Through Ridiculous Dramatic License

I always preach that the first responsibility of a movie dealing with historical subjects is to be dramatically compelling. You don’t go to the film to get an entirely historically accurate depiction; you want to, first and foremost, be entertained. To be entertained and enlightened. That’s why we go to …

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Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves Offers Solid Escapist Entertainment

I am not a fan of Dungeons & Dragons. I’ve never played the game, not even once. I’ve certainly heard of it and have seen people playing it; I know it occupies a special place in many people’s hearts, especially before using a personal computer. I’m just not one of …

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Unsung Cinema: Little Big League (1994)

“Baseball is made for kids. Grownups only screw it up.” – Hall of Fame pitcher Bob Lemon This quote is the thesis of Andrew Scheinman’s Little Big League, a fantastic and intelligent baseball movie buried beneath the surge of kids sports movies in the 1990s. In particular, baseball movies were …

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Unsung Cinema: Frailty (2001)

“I was worried that a wild-eyed director would get a hold of this material and sensationalize it just to shock people. And that, to me, wouldn’t do the script justice. My vision of this story has always been the idea that it is a very edgy script that pushes a …

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Triangle of Sadness is an Uneven but Glorious Skewering of Capitalism

Subtlety be damned in Ruben Östlund’s Triangle of Sadness, an unwieldy and, at times, thrilling skewering of Capitalism. This is a loud satire. You know immediately who the targets are and what (and who) the film is torching. Capitalism, materialism, virtue signaling, the rich, social hierarchies, gender-based power dynamics, financial …

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John Wick Chapter 4 is a Love Letter to Action Cinema

The John Wick franchise is like musical movies for action cinema. Each action scene is like a choreographed music number. There’s no pretense towards realism or the consequences of one’s violent action. John Wick movies are there to entertain and give you kick-ass action. It’s about violence and vengeance, but …

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Director Series: Ranking Brian De Palma’s Top 10 Films

Though it’s a contentious subject, I believe mainly in the auteur theory – which is a way of looking at cinema with the director as the “author” of this work. It’s controversial because the film is one of the most notorious collaborative exercises one can get involved in. I don’t …

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Unsung Cinema: Quick Change (1990)

“Everyone will enjoy this movie. But New Yorkers will enjoy it especially because they know how bad their city really is.” – Bill Murray Some movies fall through the cracks without any explanation. When Quick Change came out in 1990, Bill Murray was at the height of his stardom, Geena …

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Shazam! Fury of the Gods Review: Lightning Doesn’t Strike Twice

I immensely enjoyed the 2019 Shazam! It was a clever, heartfelt, small-scale break from the explosion of huge Marvel movies at the time. It was about family, acceptance, and finding a home. The superheroes in the film weren’t wealthy billionaires but foster kids. The point was also made that power …

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