Month: April 2019
Avengers Endgame: A decade in the making
by Matt Ward
Finality. Whether it continues its stranglehold over the cinematic conversation for the next eight months or not, Marvel Studios’ latest feature has immediately become the film event of 2019. (Or at least until the next Star Wars chapter drops in December.) For many younger audiences, the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) has largely come to shape and define their movie going experience through 22 interconnected … Read More Avengers Endgame: A decade in the making
Breakthrough: Moved by faith
by Matt Ward
Every film has an audience. The good ones, the strange ones, the ones with big budgets, the ones shot on phones, even the downright unwatchable ones – to someone, those films matter. What film critics often don’t give credence to, however, are how movies make the audience feel. Technical merits can be thrown out the window if a film is entertaining enough. A heartwarming … Read More Breakthrough: Moved by faith
The Highwaymen: The long road to justice
by Matt Ward
Movies aren’t allowed to take their time on the big screen anymore. Describing a film as slow and intimate has become a cinematic death knell as meticulous drama has ventured off the silver screen for greener pastures on television miniseries or streaming services. A tale about famed criminals Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow, for example, has to have any number of shootouts, car chases … Read More The Highwaymen: The long road to justice
Shazam: Superhero fatigue
by Matt Ward
There isn’t anything remarkable, groundbreaking or transcendent about “Shazam,” the latest in a never ending cavalcade of superhero movies “you just have to see on the big screen.” The latest offering of DC Comics films from Warner Brothers is invariably entertaining in the moment, but lacks a certain dynamic energy that will resonate with moviegoers after the credits roll. It’s got a clear, unique … Read More Shazam: Superhero fatigue
Cinematic Considerations 