Rian Johnson is ok by me as long as he remains away from Star Wars. While not quite as good, his sequel to the immensely enjoyable Knives Out (2019) is a satisfying spell from beginning to end. In its own right, Glass Onion is a well-written, well-acted, clever mystery whodunit. …

In Damien Chazelle’s fifth feature Babylon, he swings for the fences. This unwieldy, uncompromising three-hour film is perhaps the last of its kind, given the current trend in the movie industry. It represents a director who, given his recent success (Whiplash, La La Land – for which he won an …

Watching Halloween Ends is a highly bizarre experience. Then again, so is David Gordon Green’s trilogy taken as a whole. I admire him for wanting to try something different. Halloween (2018) established the old Halloween franchise feeling successfully.  Halloween Kills (2021) is more of an action movie with Laurie sidelined. …

While I think Top Gun: Maverick isn’t a great film, there’s no way it needs to be as good as it is. Seemingly it has everything going against it. Why revisit this franchise over 35 years later? Tom Cruise is almost 60 years old! Despite that, the sequel has succeeded …

Edward Berger’s 2022 adaptation of All Quiet on the Western Front is a brutal triumph. In a year where Top Gun Maverick is the top-grossing film in America, it’s essential to see the other side. Given the state of the world now, with conflicts abounding, it’s pertinent to show the …

James Cameron is proof you can have your cake and eat it too, that it’s possible to make large-scale blockbuster entertainment with cutting-edge technology while also touching on worthy themes. Avatar touches on imperialism, racism, militarism and patriotism, corporate greed, property rights, spirituality, and religion. Compare this to the pro-military …

As a Baz Luhrmann apologist, I agreatly disappointed in the director’s latest offering. Elvis lacks the attention and focus to give the audience something truly memorable. Instead it’s one long 159 minute commercial of Elvis’s career. What’s worse is the whole time Elvis feels at a distance from the audience. …

I’m a fan of Brad Pitt, and I think he’s one of the last genuine movie stars we have. Unfortunately, in Bullet Train, he’s hampered by a script and direction that’s neither smart nor well-made. This is a derivative cross between Guy Ritchie and Quentin Tarantino movies (shades of Joe …

Devotion demonstrates that old-fashioned well made movies can still get the job done. Driven by the two leads, Jonathan Majors and Glen Powell, the film tells the true story of Korean War fighter pilots Jesse Brown and Tom Hudner and their friendship. Their relationship develops sufficiently along with the family …

Mark Mylod’s The Menu is a slick black comedy horror movie that falls short of greatness but is involving enough throughout, with moments of genuine surprise. The film satirizes the world of gourmet food, pretentious chefs, food critics (and critics in general), the superficiality of the wealthy, and fanboys. There’s …