Godzilla Minus One (2023)
Celebrating his 70th anniversary in 2024, Japan’s biggest movie star, Godzilla, comes roaring back in what may be his most brutal screen outing yet. Godzilla Minus One again reinvents the atomic-powered lizard. This time around, he rises from the ocean to torment a post-World War II Japan already reeling fromContinue Reading
The Holdovers (2023)
When The Holdovers began, I immediately thought I was watching a movie from the 1970s. The film opens with an old-style studio logo and a ratings card featuring a design I recognized from many trips to the drive-in the 70s. Scratches, dust, and imperfections, including crackling sound, were also present.Continue Reading
Sully (2016)
After watching Clint Eastwood’s Sully, two things came to my mind. First, Tom Hanks can play almost anyone and you’ll immediately believe that person is the best in their field, bar none. Secondly, he makes it look effortless. In Sully, Hanks plays Captain Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger, the pilot who landedContinue Reading
The Nines (2007)
When a movie uses flashbacks or flash-forwards, there’s usually a reason. A non-linear timeline can serve many purposes. It can hide sloppy writing. It can remind the viewer of what has happened previously. It can mask a plot twist. Or, as in the case of 2007’s The Nines, it canContinue Reading
Adrift (2018)
I’m a sucker for survival stories. Especially stories of people lost at sea who are forced to adapt, improvise, and apply their navigational and nautical skills to survive. 2018’s Adrift is a movie that tells such a story. An added bonus is that it’s true. (Well, it’s based on aContinue Reading
Evil Dead Rise (2023)
One of the charms of the original Evil Dead franchise was its sense of humor. When the series was rebooted in 2013 with Evil Dead, the film was billed as the “most terrifying film you will ever experience.” That was never the aim of the original series, which was alwaysContinue Reading
V/H/S (2012)
If Creepshow‘s 40-plus-year-old version of a horror anthology feels too dated for your Halloween party, you might be tempted to try 2012’s V/H/S. This more up-to-date collection of six stories uses a found-footage angle to put a unique spin on the genre. The introductory story, “Tape 56,” concerns a gangContinue Reading