Ghosts of War Shows So Much Initial Promise Ghosts of War has given me mixed feelings ever since I finished watching it. Even as I type this, I am unsure of what to make of this movie. It is two ideas wrapped into one, and one half is so much better than the other. The basic…
Volition Is Much Smarter Than It Initially Seems Volition was the movie I didn’t know I needed. It was refreshing and enjoyable to get a film deftly and almost immaculately telling a story of time travel, premonitions, and cause and effect. Volition doesn’t start off seeming that way, though. At first, it gives off a vaguely…
Lab Rat Is Another Thoughtful Bit Of Sci-Fi I was fortunate enough to get to see Lab Rat before the movie was released online for streaming. And, upon mentally preparing for the writing of this review, my immediate thought is it is nice to see that classic-style sci-fi stories are still being made. Because that’s…
Watching Proximity Is An Odd Experience Proximity is one of the strangest science fiction movies I have ever seen. It defies all expectations, makes many strange choices, and has a very good grasp of visual storytelling and visual composition—and yet is kind of bad. At first, the movie seems to be clear on what it is:…
American Quartet Is Powerful Filmmaking American Quartet is a deeply political short film detailing a societal divide in a small town. It’s set in a future where mental recording, both objective and subjective, is possible with small devices resembling leather smartphone cases. And while that already is a complicated thing to attempt in a 9-minute…
The New Mutants Might Save The X-Men The New Mutants is a gamble. If the critical consensus is anything to go by, the recent X-Men movies have been a disappointment across the board. But perhaps the problem is that they have been stuck with the same few characters, ideas, and plot lines. What if they…
The Rise of Skywalker Does Disappoint Usually, when I watch a movie, after a few hours, I have a pretty well-formed opinion—not so with The Rise of Skywalker. I keep forgetting I’ve seen it…which does not bode well. You’d think a movie that was this important to Star Wars, the ending of a new trilogy, would…
The Mandalorian: Peak Good Star Wars Disney + has been a subject of intense scrutiny and some derision because of the nature of their business practices: but that doesn’t make The Mandalorian not an excellent addition to the Star Wars universe. And that’s because the show does two notable things. Though the overall quality of…
With, strangely, three horror movies releasing in early December, it seemed like a good idea to go over the trailers and give my first impressions and recommendations. Horror, perhaps more than any other genre, is rather hit or miss—so it’s worth getting a little forewarning. Also, none of these are Christmas themed, but they are…
Hazbin Hotel Is Worth The Year of Hype From just the original song “Inside of every Demon is a Rainbow,” Hazbin Hotel had so much promise. It was made by a small team, posted online, but with gorgeous animation, stellar voice work, and an aesthetic that is both detailed and imaginative—which all meant I was…
My Life as a Teenage Robot Is Visually Distinct I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen the first episode of My Life as a Teenage Robot. At least on three separate occasions, I’ve sat down and watched this stylized show about a robot who wants to be a teenager—and each time I’ve found…
The Dark Crystal: A Unique New World The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance is a triumph of alternative presentation. The puppetry and practical effects are so intrinsic to the show that it’s impossible to not notice it every second of watching. I cannot imagine the work it took to create not only the various characters…
