Cinema Spotlight VIII - Leigh Whannell (Part 1): "Insidious: Chapter 3"

Stefanie Scott (known for her Queen Bee role on Disney Channel's A.N.T. Farm) 
as Quinn Brenner in Insidious Chapter 3.

Before he was trapped by Jigsaw with Cary Elwes, Leigh Whannell dreamed of being a story-teller whether as an actor or a writer. He got his chance while attending college in his home county of Australia where he met best friend and future collaborator James Wan. During the years that lead to the creation of Saw, Whannell served as a film critic on a television program called Recovery (think of it as Australia's version of nineties MTV). Fun Fact: Angus Sampson was among the cast and a writer of the show who would work with Whannell again in the Insidious movies as the ghost-tracking duo Specs and Tucker.

Joker: All Joke No Punchline

Joaquin Phoenix as the Joker

The Joker is one of those characters who didn't need an origin story. Not knowing what made him a sadistic psychopath is what made him a scary but memorable villain. True, there have been several iterations that hinted his past but never the whole picture. Tim Burton's Batman being the one exception but isn't seen as part of the Batman lore and neither is this version, brought to us by Todd Phillips, the director of The Hangover. 

Cinema Spotlight V - David F. Sandberg (Part 2): "Annabelle: Creation"

Impressed by his work on Lights Out, James Wan offered David F. Sandberg his next movie that would set in the Conjuring Universe. An offer, Sandberg was hesitant to accept seeing the bad reputation of Horror sequels. It didn't help that the proposed project would be another Anabelle movie, with the last one to star the demented doll being widely despised. But when told that it would be a standalone prequel and have little to no connection to its predecessors, he accepted.

Captain Marvel Soars to Marvelous Heights

I knew more about the Skrulls than Captain Marvel before watching this movie. But if Doctor Strange and Black Panther taught me anything, is that I tend to enjoy comic-book movies the less I know about the source material. All I knew about Captain Marvel was that she seemed to be a cross between Superman and Goku. Super in strength, speed, flight and endurance; fire beams of energy and glows when she reaches her ultimate form. After the outcome in Avengers: Infinity War, I can see how she can turn the tide in Avengers: Endgame.

Bumblebee Is Remarkably Robust

There is no doubt that Transfomers is successful as a toyline. The cartoon adaptations have been both a hit (Transformers:Prime) and miss (Beast Machines). The movies, to put it delicately, have been severely underwhelming and gotten worse with each new entry. After helming every live-action iteration of the robots in disguise, Micheal Bay steps down as director and hand's the reigns to Travis Knight, fresh from his success of the stop-motion action fantasy Kubo and the Two-Strings.

Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindlewald-A Crime of Early Franchise Fatigue

The Scamander Brothers

When I watch a penultimate or middle chapter like The Empire Strikes Back, The Two Towers, Infinity War, or even The Last Jedi and Attack of the Clones, I'm excited for what happens next. They all have a sense of closure with a beginning, middle and end despite knowing that more is on the way. Evil, whether defeated or triumphant heavily lingers, and the heroes whether beaten or victorious know that the war is far from over.

Solo: A Star Wars Review

When it was announced that a Han Solo origin story was next in the Star Wars Anthology series, enthusiasm hit an all-time low. The last time Star Wars tackled an origin story on one of its iconic character's, it didn't bode well with most audiences. Things weren't any better behind-the-scenes when the film's original directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller clashed with the producers that they were booted off the project; fours months after production began. (The duo do receive an executive producer credit). With Ron Howard stepping in the director's chair, does Solo: A Star Wars Movie  mange to be a fun ride or completely pointless?

Alien: Covenant Nothing But Horror Movie Schlock

(Originally Published on May 21, 2017)

You know how the first movie in a Horror franchise turns out to be the best of the bunch while everything else goes down the drain. Just look at the countless sequels and reimaginings of Jaws, Friday the 13th, Halloween, and A Nightmare on Elm Street to name a few.

The Magic returns in the Harry Potter spin-off: Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them

(Originally Published on November 22, 2016)

In the World of Harry Potter the term Muggle is used to describe an individual who isn’t a witch or wizard in Great Britain. Who knew that in America the word No-Maj was utilized instead? While Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them isn’t exactly a Harry Potter movie, it does take place in the same universe based on the books by J.K. Rowling.