Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker Ends With a Sizzle

Kylo Ren vs Rey

There's something about the title in a Star Wars movie that gives it its mythic and mystical identity without being too overt (A New Hope, Revenge of the Sith, The Last Jedi, etc.) When the title for Episode IX was revealed as The Rise of Skywalker, it sounded pompous and obvious. True, the saga has been mostly about the Skywalker lineage but did it have to be flaunted this way?

Glass May Shatter but Shyamalan Keeps it Sharp

At this rate, you either know the name M. Night Shyamalan or not. The same man who made a name for himself with the haunting but heartfelt ghost-story The Sixth Sense, took a spin at the comic book genre before it became popular in Unbreakable, and was proclaimed the next Spielberg with the sci-fi thriller Signs. This is also the same man whose career took a downturn starting with The Village, the well-intended but maligned Lady in the Water, the horrific but unintentionally hilarious The Happening, and the final nail in the coffin known as The Last Airbender. 

Mary Poppins' Return is Welcome but Unnecessary

While never a fan of the original Mary Poppins I won't deny its innocent charm and cinematic legacy as it holds a place near and dear to many. I wouldn't think that this, of all Disney properties, would get a sequel so late in the game. Fifty-four years later to be precise! I thought this only applied to Harrison Ford movies. Yet here we are, nostalgia is the biggest cash-grabber hence the numerous live-action remakes from Disney and the ones yet to come.

Micheal Myers Returns in Halloween

John Carpenter's Halloween has been regarded as the granddaddy of slasher films and laid the groundwork for future flicks like A Nightmare on Elm Street and Friday the 13th. Despite good performances from Jamie Lee Curtis, Donald Pleasence and Nick Castle, I found the original Halloween trashy and dated that even the kills were boring to watch. Seven schlocky sequels and a repugnant reboot later, director David Gordon Green and co-writing partner Danny McBride give their take on the silent killer in what is now the eleventh Halloween movie.

The Predator Catches Its Prey

The original Predator remains as an eighties staple in terms of action and science fiction. Among Arnold's manly cast was aspiring screenwriter Shane Black, who played the nerdy character Hawkins. Having moved to directing with Iron Man 3 and The Nice Guys under his belt, Black returns to the franchise that got him on the map in the fourth Predator movie (sixth if you count AVP and Requiem) simply titled The Predator.

Christopher Robin is Little on Brains but Big in Heart.

"Pooh, promise you won't forget about me, ever. Not even when I'm a hundred."
Pooh thought for a little. "How old shall I be then?"
"Ninety-nine."
"Pooh nodded. "I promise," he said.

-The House at Pooh Corner

by A.A. Milne 

Cinema Spotlight III - J.A. Bayona (Part 4): 'Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom'

I actually enjoyed Colin Trevorrow's Jurassic World being the only solid sequel to the original Jurassic Park. It took the franchise in a new direction that was never explored with the previous sequels with John Hammond's vision of the park finally open to the public. It still maintain's that dinosaur wonder, the cautionary themes of genetic science and paying tribute to the original film. Now we have Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, Trevorrow returns only as a screenwriter with J.A. Bayona this time directing.

Double Feature: Ferdinand & Jumanji : Welcome to the Jungle

One is about a gentle giant who doesn't like to fight, the other of a game that unleashes a jungle jamboree. Both originated from a children's book, previously received the big screen treatment, and now given a theatrical new look for audiences.

Star Wars: The Last Review (Not)

The force has awakened and the Resistance scored a major victory over the First Order, but the war is far from over. The stakes are higher as Rian Johnson (Brick & Looper) writes and directs the second chapter in a galaxy far, far, away in Star Wars VIII: The Last Jedi.

Better Late Than Never Vol. 1

Since October I've had the chance to see a lot films but have written on only three. (Sad, I know) I plan to write a full review for many of these but in the meantime (and with The Last Jedi upon us) these are my very brief thoughts on what has been playing the multiplex these past couple of months.

The Boys are Back in T2 Trainspotting

(Originally Published April 9, 2017)

In 1996, fresh off his debut film Shallow Grave, director Danny Boyle followed with Trainspotting, a black comedy that centered on a group of misfits swimming in the pleasures of sex and drugs in the streets of Edinburgh, Scotland. There was Renton (Ewan McGregor), the protagonist and straight man of the group, the aloof and conniving Sick Boy (Jonny Lee Miller), the naive but lovable Spud (Ewen Bremner), and the violent and hot-tempered Begbie (Robert Carlyle). It became an instant classic launching the careers of Ewan McGregor who would star in Big Fish, Moulin Rouge! & the Star Wars Prequels and the first role of Kelly Macdonald who would be in Boardwalk Empire, No Country for Old Men, and the titular role in Pixar’s Brave. It also cemented Danny Boyle‘s status as a filmmaker and go on to direct films like Millions, 127 Hours and Slumdog Millionaire (The latter winning seven Oscars including Best Picture and Best Director).