Category: Films
-
Rally with ‘Challengers’
“Never marry a tennis player… Love means nothing to them!” – Dad Jokes Despite being all about the romantic entanglements of those who partake in the sport, not once does Challengers make that hackneyed observation. This is but one sign you’re in for something greater than expected. Challengers feels like a sports film from the 1980s along the lines…
-
‘Civil War’ misfires
“The idea of breaking up the country seems so grave, so full of disillusionment, so great a loss to the founding idea of America, that most of us regard it as unthinkable. Most, not all.” – Clay S. Jenkinson The critical response to Civil War has been so contentious that some may label it a “love it…
-
‘The First Omen’ should be the last
“If Satan wasn’t around, churches would go out of business.” – Marilyn Manson Sacrilege as it might be to say, but try as I might, I have never really liked the Omen films. Even the original, the supposed “good” one, was very badly written, failing to provide a satisfying resolution for the protagonist and audience, resulting in…
-
Pick up the call for ‘Scream 6’
“Cities are distinguished by the catastrophic forms they presuppose and which are a vital part of their essential charm.” – Jean Baudrillard I did not like the last Scream movie and did not have hope that the same creative team would fare any better with a follow-up, especially one produced so soon. Not to mention that horror…
-
‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’ is worthy of the throne
“When the music changes, then the rhythm of the dance must change also.” – Tuareg proverb Five years ago, Black Panther was a rousing success the likes of which the world had never seen. The often overlooked Marvel comics character was now in the stratosphere of the company’s biggest creations. Naturally, a sequel was called…
-
All In: Miracle at St. Bernard’s is a must-see documentary
“The miracle isn’t that I finished. The miracle is that I had the courage to start” – John Bingham Miracle is a word that is overused in sports journalism. We all remember the Miracle On Ice when the USA defeated the Russian hockey team at the 1980 Winter Olympics. Others include the Minneapolis Miracle, the…
-
‘Battle For Saipan’ uses metaphor to tell a story
“Whether we attack or stay, there is only death” – Lt. General Yoshitsugu Saito, commander of the Japanese forces on Saipan. He took his own life during the final battle for control of the island. What really happened: On July 7, 1944, the Japanese Imperial Army was pinned down on the island of Saipan with…
-
Peruse ‘The Menu’ for a multi-course delight of a meal
“You don’t need a silver fork to eat good food” – Paul Prudhomme In The Menu, from director Mark Mylod, you actually need to be able to afford a gold fork in order to dine at Hawthorne. The cost of the prix fixe meal at this exclusive establishment, located on a private island is $1,250…
-
‘Till’ is a gripping account of the aftermath of a historic lynching
“Prejudices can kill, and suspicion can destroy. And the thoughtless frightened search for a scapegoat has a fallout all of its own for the children and the children yet unborn.…” – Mamie Till-Mobley In the summer of 1955, Mamie Till-Bradley (Danielle Deadwyler) was a war widow and the single mother of 14-year-old Emmett Lewis Till…
-
‘Top Gun: Maverick’ is a visual treat
“That was some of the best flying I’ve seen yet. Right up to the part where you got killed. You never, never leave your wing man” – Michael Ironside as Jester in the original Top Gun The fact that over 35 years went by between the release of 1986’s Top Gun makes it difficult to…