★★★★ Like Scott Pilgrim before it, Die in a Gunfight brings that comic book style into the crime and romance genres, with impressive visuals and an incredible ensemble cast. Just when you think you have the story figured out, another layer unfurls itself with quiet excellence. From two of the screenwriters responsible for MCU entry … Continue reading Film Review: Die in a Gunfight
Film Review: Gunpowder Milkshake
★★★★ Gunpowder Milkshake joins the ranks of fantastic underseen action films of 2021, an elite list that includes Nobody, The Tomorrow War, and Wrath of Man. A girl power action extravaganza of the highest caliber was just what the doctor ordered, evoking obvious comparisons to other films. In terms of tone, the action is similar … Continue reading Film Review: Gunpowder Milkshake
Film Review: Blood Red Sky
★★★ Netflix’s newest foreign offering, Blood Red Sky, can be pared down to four simple words: vampires on a plane. It’s FX’s The Strain, set in the air. This fast-paced, bloody thrill ride delivers on the monster mayhem, but comes up short both narratively and in its thinly-sketched characters. The action comes fast and furious, … Continue reading Film Review: Blood Red Sky
Film Review: The Tomorrow War
★★★★ The Tomorrow War, the bombastic sci-fi action flick from Amazon Studios, is probably my favorite film from them since Honey Boy and The Goldfinch. Much of their roster is hit or miss for me, but Chris Pratt starring in the lead role gave me immediate interest. I was pleasantly surprised with the film’s atmosphere … Continue reading Film Review: The Tomorrow War
Film Review: The Forever Purge
★★ I have seen every single film in The Purge series in the theater, and while the series itself is far from being consistent in any way, it did deliver a perfect one-two punch with 2014’s The Purge: Anarchy and 2016’s The Purge: Election Year. Those movies saw a grizzled Frank Grillo take center stage … Continue reading Film Review: The Forever Purge
Tribeca 2021: Clean
★★★★ Clean tells a gripping, slow-burn tale punctuated by brutal bursts of violence through the gritty filter of noir. Clean (played by Oscar Winner Adrien Brody) is just a simple garbage man, but he is stained. “No matter how hard I try, I can’t wash away the past,” Clean opines during the opening scene. The … Continue reading Tribeca 2021: Clean
Film Review: Infinite
★★ Feeling like it came straight off the generic action-movie conveyor belt, Infinite strands a talented ensemble amongst stilted dialogue and CGI-heavy slow motion. I thought this type of movie was all but dead, as box office numbers dwindled and audiences craved more visceral, bone-crunching action. If anything, it feels like Infinite comes straight from … Continue reading Film Review: Infinite
Film Review: Awake
★★★ Imagine for a moment a world in which you cannot go to sleep. No, I don’t mean a demon that will haunt your dreams like Freddy Krueger in A Nightmare on Elm Street. You literally can’t sleep. The phones aren’t working, the power is out, and the military shows up… There is no such … Continue reading Film Review: Awake
Film Review: Spare Parts
★★★ Spare Parts takes obvious inspiration from the heyday of exploitation cinema, giving us a large cast of female protagonists—members of a girl-group punk band—and throwing them into a nightmare scenario. With echoes of Mad Max and Grindhouse, Spare Parts is an over-the-top gorefest that delivers on its visceral thrills. When on their first American … Continue reading Film Review: Spare Parts
Film Review: Riders of Justice
★★★★ Riders of Justice is a darkly comic revenge drama that comes with a signature brand of Danish snark. The direction from Anders Thomas Jensen is sleek and sharp. As a huge fan of Mads Mikkelsen myself, I loved the ferocity and methodic precision he brings to his character, Markus. A shocking narrative curveball in … Continue reading Film Review: Riders of Justice