Good movies possess fearsome power. They can inspire you or piss you off, provide you with the motivation to get up and do something. Even in our age of disposable media, what else has that kind of influence? Consider this. Brokeback Mountain punched through decades of homophobia and, with an aching love story, helped to “normalize” the LGBT experience. […]

With a few exceptions, nobody sets out to make a bad movie. Whether the filmmakers are confident or delusional, they start out with good intentions. But here’s where it gets tricky. In order to make a good movie, you need a compelling story, interesting characters, and a way to bring the two together organically. Sounds […]

Every time I see a movie, it’s a little like going on a date. Some dates are fine. You have a perfectly nice time, but you know there’s no future. Others are less fine, and you wonder how your date was able to leave the house without accidentally killing others or themselves. But once in a while, […]

How can you describe America? Ronald Reagan famously called our country a “shining city on a hill.” Ralph Waldo Emerson opined that “America is another name for opportunity.” What do I think? I think America is a seriously weird-ass place. Here, I’ll prove it to you. The Creation Museum, located in Petersburg, Kentucky, displays the skeleton […]

Every week before I see the movie I end up reviewing, I talk to my kid about it. He’s 8 years old, bright, and possesses a goofy sense of humor. Sometimes he’s interested in what I’m going to see. Other times, his attention is captured by more lofty subjects.* I mentioned offhandedly to him that […]

Hardcore Henry is not a good movie. Hardcore Henry is an awesome movie. Let me explain.  Some films, like Spotlight, exist to illuminate an injustice. Other films, like United 93, are made to create an intense emotional reaction, to imagine ourselves in an unimaginable situation. Still other films, like The Shawshank Redemption, are inspirational fodder, designed to make us feel that we can […]

In December of 2013, a wedding was scheduled in Yemen. This was not unusual and, with the exception of those participating, not particularly noteworthy. On December 13, the day of the wedding, a convoy consisting of approximately 60 people traveled from the home of the groom to a neighboring village where the bride lived. According […]

The age of the superhero arguably began in 1938,  when Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster created Superman. Slightly less than a year later, Bob Kane and Bill Finger devised Batman.  Both characters have passed their 75th anniversaries, and both of them have appeared in pretty much every entertainment medium. They have changed a great deal […]

One of the most annoying movie cliches is that of the Wise Elder. Like Chuck Norris, they exist in a constant state of alertness, waiting for the perfect moment to impart the wisdom of their years to some callow whippersnapper in need of a good old-fashioned life lesson. The Wise Elder has no inner life, […]

All you really need to know about 10 Cloverfield Lane is that it’s an efficient and intelligent thriller. It works best if you just go into the theater cold. In fact, you should stop reading my review immediately, trust me, and go see it. Still here? If you’re hoping for a spoiler-riffic review, sorry, Sparky, it ain’t […]