Year: 2023

August 14, 2023 · Watch the official trailer

Movie studios are trying very hard to develop content that replicates existing intellectual property rather than create original ideas, especially action blockbusters whether they be comic book properties or not.

Netflix has tried unsuccessfully to start their own film franchises and their latest attempt – a hybrid homage/rip-off of the “Mission: Impossible” series – is too convoluted and lacks the dynamic flair to gain traction even in spite of how slow and underwhelming the August movie calendar has become.

“Heart of Stone,” an action-adventure film from director Tom Harper, finds “Wonder Woman” star Gal Gadot as an intelligence operative trying to protect her international peacekeeping agency from losing its most valuable technology – a computer system known as the “heart” – from falling into the wrong hands.

Out the gate, it’s clear just ridiculous and nonsensical the narrative is as screenwriters Greg Rucka and Allison Schroeder are more focused on trying to imitate other, more cohesive action films than develop their own point of view.

The result is that “Heart of Stone” feels overstuffed at a two-hour running time with no substantial character development nor engaging storyline to keep viewers entertained between action sequences, much less when the shooting actually starts.

Gadot isn’t horrible as Rachel, the undercover asset within a MI-6 team who is both hacker and super spy, but her stiff line delivery that works so well as a fish-out-of-water superhero doesn’t really hold muster in spy cinema and she lacks the overall charisma required to give audiences someone to rally behind.

The same can be said of Jamie Dornan’s Parker, an agent so lacking in motivation that Dornan sleepwalks his way through much of the film, which is sad given how terrific and layered his recent work in “Belfast” was.

It’s almost as if both Gadot and Dornan are portraying their characters as generically as possible from the outset in order to make revelations about them more impactful, but their performances are equally as bland and stoic in the final act of the film as they are in the opening moments.

The rest of the supporting cast – which somehow includes and wastes Glenn Close – lacks substance. It’s almost as if Harper and the screenwriters view most of the characters in the film as completely and utterly disposable at a moment’s notice.

Much like the most recent “Mission: Impossible” installment, “Heart of Stone” struggles to visually draw audiences into a tech-heavy screenplay beyond some over-the-top computer-generated images that give the film a slight near-future, modernistic vibe. Watching characters hack away in front of computers throughout the movie isn’t particularly engaging, especially how Harper stages it.

Action scenes lack a compelling energy as most of the fight sequences are staged in such a way where the hand-to-hand combat is obscured or chopped off in the editing bay. Other moments are clearly staged in front of green screens and takes audiences out of any realism Harper and the filmmakers are striving to achieve.

Conceptually, “Heart of Stone” should be a fun, interactive thrill ride that would help audiences survive the doldrums of the August film slate, but the end result is a film devoid of pizazz or kinetic energy that are the heartbeat of a successful action movie.

As a Netflix original film, it’s certainly worth firing up as background fodder for a casual home viewing, but “Heart of Stone” has nothing memorable enough to maintain viewer interest or inspire multiple screenings.

August 7, 2023 · Watch the trailer

For the foreseeable future, every animated action movie is going to unjustly be compared to Sony’s two “Spiderverse” films about Marvel’s web-crawling superhero Spider-Man.

The captivating, genre-bending spectacles and major Oscar contenders have set a new standard for what quality CGI storytelling should be with an equal emphasis on narrative and visuals that pushes the whole industry forward.

“Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem,” an animated reboot of the classic 1980s/1990s comic book and Saturday morning cartoon characters, released in theaters this past weekend and the “Spiderverse” influence pervades the entirely of director Jeff Rowe’s feature from the avant-garde, kinetic CGI work to the heavily pop culture infused screenplay.

“Mutant Mayhem” finds young turtles Leonardo, Raphael, Michelangelo, and Donatello wanting to interact with the human world after years of being sheltered away in the sewers beneath New York City. The group try to track down a mysterious crime syndicate led by the villainous Superfly only to be confronted by other mutants.

What first strikes audiences is a cavalcade of slightly askew visuals that gives “Mutant Mayhem” a rebellious teen vibe and comic book aesthetic that can be a bit jarring at first but grows on viewers over time to make for an engaging, fun way to be transported into the world of the film.

The result is ultimately just fine however, because far as good as the animation is, the screenplay and narrative behind the visuals just doesn’t live up to par.

Dialogue lacks a crispness, and the overall narrative feels more like a supersized TV episode rather than a full fledge film.

Paramount is pushing all its chips behind “Mutant Mayhem” with a sequel and spinoff series for its Paramount+ streaming service already greenlit and as family friendly content goes, it seems like a moderate, yet solid investment for at home audiences. This is ultimately where most, if not all, cinephiles young and old should spend their time with “Mutant Mayhem,” as the visuals aren’t quite dynamic enough to require an urgent trip to the movies.

There is a playful, improv-esque banter between the four actors playing the titular turtles – Nicolas Cantu, Brady Noon, Shamon Brown Jr., and Micah Abbey – and this springs from the decision to have the four young actors record their lines together, which helps build chemistry within the group and accentuate the light, playful banter as natural not forced.

Jackie Chan is a perfect choice to play father figure Master Splinter, both for his martial arts background that gives the character credibility but also his soft approach and tenor that evokes the calm, caring parental presence to help balance out the wild teens around him.

There are a lot of famous voices surrounding the main cast with producer Seth Rogen and John Cena as iconic baddies Bebop and Rocksteady, both underutilized in the overall narrative.

The best supporting voice in the film – rapper/actor Ice Cube as the evil Superfly – evokes both a 70s blaxploitation and 90s hip-hop aesthetic even though Rowe leans a bit too heavily into the pop culture references at times.

As it compares to other nostalgic children’s IP based movies, “Mutant Mayhem” is far from as dynamic as something like awards season contender “Barbie” but also miles better than the overstuffed, ridiculous “Transformers: Rise of the Beasts.”

“Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem” is good enough for a streaming service but doesn’t carry enough value to audiences for a theatrical experience despite its above average visuals.

July 31, 2023 · Watch the official trailer

If auteur writer/director Christopher Nolan wanted to make his latest film about them development of the atomic bomb, he would have given it a title more in keeping with that idea.

By titling the film simply “Oppenheimer,” it’s clear that Nolan is less interested in the device itself then the complex, conflicted man behind the Manhattan Project, the revolutionary father of the atomic bomb that changed the way that modern wars are waged.

Based on the biography “American Prometheus” by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin, “Oppenheimer” is a grandiose, dense look into the most pivotal era in the life of scientist J. Robert Oppenheimer, slightly before, during and significantly after his work at Los Alamos, New Mexico, leading the creation of the first atomic bomb.

Since Nolan is more interest in the man than the machine itself, it’s clear that whoever took the mantle of the titular Oppenheimer had to be a chameleon physically, psychologically, and emotionally as well.

Frequent Nolan collaborator Cillian Murphy absolutely astonishes in his most prolific leading role to date as the title character. His Oppenheimer is incredibly well considered both in Murphy’s performance as well as in the nuanced, subtle ways Oppenheimer approached every moment in his scientific life.

Audiences can see just with a squint of Murphy’s eyes the relentless turning of the wheels in Oppenheimer’s mind and his borderline psychotic ability to disassociate from the moment to ponder infinite possibilities is perfectly captured in the performance and in Nolan’s unique ability to pull viewers out of the moment while remaining in Oppenheimer’s frame of mind.

This is most often done as the cinematography obscures the world around Oppenheimer and large swaths of noise go deafeningly silent to really draw audiences into his psyche, which becomes increasingly more fragile as Oppenheimer attempts to balance personal responsibilities with the possible cataclysmic fallout from his secret project.

Murphy is also outstanding at blending the cerebral Oppenheimer with a more emotional, vulnerable romantic side when it comes to Oppenheimer’s relationships with longtime mistress Jean Tatlock and his wife Kitty.

The unique ways in which Murphy changes his physical appearance and tone of voice in scenes opposite either character truly displays the dichotomy in how Oppenheimer viewed his romantic partners and the chemistry he has with both Florence Pugh’s Jean and Emily Blunt’s Kitty are intensely personal and heartfelt with layers of character development unlike Nolan films of the past.

While this is a film almost entirely about men and men’s work, Blunt and Pugh are among the film’s major highlights with Pugh being the heartbreaking first love and Blunt carrying a much heavier burden as Oppenheimer’s reckless yet wildly supportive wife and the complexities that both women are able to bring out in their characters greatly help to layer the world of “Oppenheimer.”

It's a film with an incredibly deep and talented ensemble cast that could easily receive 4-6 acting nominations.

Robert Downey Jr. delivers perhaps his best pure acting performance in a decade as Admiral Strauss, a frequent collaborator of Oppenheimer post-Manhattan Project that plays a pivotal role in framing the narrative of the film, while Matt Damon plays stoically against type as a general overseeing Oppenheimer and the project as a whole.

Nolan’s perhaps most personal screenplay – written in the first person from Oppenheimer’s perspective – centers the entire film around the theoretical physicist’s experience even in scenes which Murphy isn’t in. The framework of the film concurrently follows Oppenheimer’s rise and time at the Manhattan Project as well as a Senate confirmation hearing and investigation set years after the end of World War II. “Oppenheimer” feels exceptionally heavy and cumbersome on an initial viewing, but as with most Nolan films, subsequent screenings really unlock the complexity and layering of the world Nolan creates and emphasize the inherent drama.

As with all Nolan movies, “Oppenheimer” is masterfully shot by award worthy cinematographer Hoyte van Hoytema, who captures the intimate, personal moments of the actors in revelatory tight closeups as well as engulf the audience in the larger framework of the film in sweeping panoramas that highlight the gravity and immense importance of the Manhattan Project.

“Oppenheimer” is certainly one of the year’s first major awards contenders alongside “Barbie” and Nolan’s film could easily receive double-digit nominations including Best Picture, Best Director, a slew of technical prizes and a virtually guaranteed nomination and likely win for Murphy as Best Actor.

Clocking in at three hours, “Oppenheimer” does struggle to maintain audience engagement for viewers not completely enamored with the more stoic, cerebral pace from the outset.

But as is the case with all of Nolan’s work, “Oppenheimer” begs to be seen on the biggest possible screen at least once, if not more times, by the most ardent cinephiles and casual audiences alike.

July 24, 2023 · Watch the official trailer

Somewhat surprisingly, “Barbie” is for everyone.

Sure, writer/director Greta Gerwig’s latest film is cheery and pink and filled with dream houses, audacious costumes, and endless summer.

But beneath the surface, there is a deep complexity to both the character of Barbie and the overall film as a whole that can truly resonate with both men and women of all ages.

It's completely baffling that a film like this can even get made considering how guarded companies like Mattel are with their intellectual property, but the “Barbie” audiences see in theaters is one of the most carefully composed, well thought out and put together comedies this decade with smart clever writing, nuanced character development and an emotional poignancy that will resonate with any audience willing to give the film a true chance.

The film sees Margot Robbie’s Barbie sent off into the real world in order to figure out what has gone wrong from her seemingly perfect Barbieland dream life and along with Ryan Gosling's Ken, the pair find that neither Barbieland nor the real world are as idyllic as they had hoped or imagined.

Robbie begins her turn as the iconic children’s doll with a relentless, bubbly enthusiasm that slowly, but markedly turns more emotional and complex as Barbie is infused with existential dread as she realizes that humanity and the real world aren’t nearly as kind to women as Barbies are to each other.

It’s a performance that many are going to overlook on a first watch because their gaze is going to be much more broadly focused on the flashier elements of the movie and the overall aesthetic, but Robbie brings Barbie to life – quite literally – in subtle ways that make her the steady constant in Gerwig’s world to help make larger points about the toxicity of societal conventions and the desire to be more kind to not only others, but to yourself as well.

Audiences leaving “Barbie” will most likely be talking about Gosling’s hysterical, out of character turn as the “him-bo” Ken, a beach loving guy whose naivety turns brash once Ken is presented with a male dominated world so different from this own.

Gosling relishes each and every moment on screen and his comedic timing is impeccable to the point that it will often feel as if Ken is stealing the spotlight away from Barbie, which may be something Gerwig wants at certain times in the film to help highlight the idea of people treating each other as accessories to their own existence rather than unique individuals.

The film’s ensemble cast is incredibly deep with terrific comedic and dramatic performances, especially Michael Cera as the awkward “buddy” Allan who fits in with neither the Barbies nor the Kens and America Ferrera’s Gloria, one of the few humans in the film who completely devastates the narrative with a pitch perfect monologue to kick off the third act that could be some of Gerwig’s finest writing.

The world of “Barbie” is exceptionally layered and grandiose, both from a writing perspective, but especially from its elaborate production design, which brings Barbie’s dream world to life with a pink/blue technicolor hue that pops off the screen at every turn. While it often feels like the acting pulls audiences away from remembering that 85 percent of the characters in the film are portraying dolls, the world of Barbieland itself emphasizes this almost cartoonish imagination that one might argue is like seeing the inner mind of young Gerwig playing with Barbies and Kens.

Although a Gerwig film is almost certainly an awards season contender based on her track record alone, “Barbie” feels like an absolute shoo-in for nominations in numerous Oscar categories next year including screenplay, production design, costuming, hair and makeup. It’s also within the realm of possibility that the popular, catchy tune “I’m Just Ken” could be an original song contender and Gosling is the most likely candidate to receive an acting nomination for supporting work despite the fact that Robbie is equally deserving of a lead actress nod.

There will be viewers who will misinterpret Gerwig’s narrative either through bad faith or because they refuse to believe that a quirky fantasy dramedy could have that much heart and kindness without an ulterior motive or agenda.

“Barbie” is not for them.

But audiences willing to keep an open mind and an open heart as they drift back to their childhood days will find “Barbie” to be an absolute romp of a good time with very nuanced, poignant motifs that will truly resonate for women and a decent majority of men as well, making it a must see in theaters with or without an “Oppenheimer” double feature.

July 16, 2023 · Watch the official trailer

If the latest Tom Cruise movie is going to be worth anything, part two better be absolutely incredible.

Cruise’s fourth collaboration with writer/director Christopher McQuarrie and the seventh installment in the “Mission: Impossible” franchise sees a lot of unanswered questions that really make this weekend’s biggest blockbuster a complete mystery.

At nearly three hours long, “Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One” has a lot of action, a lot of talking and a lot of character development. And although audiences don’t have to have watched the previous six entries in the canon before going to the theaters, there’s significantly convoluted drama that has to be slogged through in order to see Cruise run, jump, ride a motorcycle and escape death again and again and again.

In Cruise’s seventh turn as rogue special agent Ethan Hunt, “Dead Reckoning Part One” finds Hunt and his allies on the trail of a key that unlocks untold power in the form of stealth artificial intelligence, which doesn’t make for visually interesting cinema. McQuarrie and Cruise have to work around this by ramping up the audaciousness of the film’s many action sequences.

The main reason anyone remains remotely interested in these films is to see to what lengths Cruise will go to drive people to the theater and his turn here is yet another astounding effort.

It’s in the film’s numerously practical stunt sequences that “Dead Reckoning Part One” truly comes alive whether that’s fully integrated car chases with precision driving and stunning visuals to boot or Cruise defying gravity again by soaring his motorcycle off a cliff or an expansive 20-plus minute fight scene on a train that puts a positive endcap on an otherwise awkwardly transitioned film.

It's clear throughout all of McQuarrie and Cruise’s collaborations that the stuntwork comes first and these moments are the reason “Mission: Impossible” films exist in the first place. Because Cruise lives for the thrill of the moment, he becomes his own stuntman which makes the impracticality of the action sequences he pulls off even more dazzling and reinforces Ethan Hunt’s desire to do anything and everything, risking his life, to save the world as a whole.

The real question becomes how good the film can be if it’s not as good as the one that precedes it. Cruise and McQuarrie set the bar so high with 2018’s “Mission: Impossible – Fallout” that this incomplete, at times awkward and overly technical film does not have the self-contained intensity of the prior installment.

The action is good, especially a very tight hallway fight scene in close quarters that allows cinematographer Fraser Taggart to really engage with the action in a new way for the franchise and the film’s more bombastic moments have a great energy to them, but it’s not nearly as consistent tonally as prior installments were.

Part of the issue may end up being simply that audiences don’t know enough about Esai Morales’ villainous Gabriel, a man whose true motives aren’t ever explored in this film and it often feels as if Hunt and his team are racing against a ghost or against themselves, but doesn’t keep the same dynamic.

While it’s a relatively incomplete film, there is enough in both Cruise’s performance and the dynamic action sequences to make “Dead Reckoning Part One” worth seeking out in theaters although the film is not so arresting that it must be seen on an IMAX screen like Christopher Nolan’s forthcoming “Oppenheimer” film.

Truly, “Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One” can’t be fairly judged until the second half releases in theaters in early summer next year though the recently announced actors’ strike could further delay those plans and dampen the momentum Cruise seems to be carrying.

July 10, 2023 · Watch the trailer

There’s so much to like about the directorial debut of “Crazy Rich Asians” co-writer Adele Lim’s raunchy comedy “Joy Ride.”

Not only is it a launching pad for Lim as a director transitioning over from screenwriting, but “Joy Ride” showcases four distinct and talented Asian-American actresses on a large, big-budget production and allows them plenty of opportunity to shine.

It’s bittersweet, however, because the narrative behind the film and its disjointed attempts to be outrageous and sentimental hold “Joy Ride” back from being a must-see film in theaters and whatever criticism the film might garner could simply be reductive down to trying too hard to be “Bridesmaids” or “The Hangover” or any other sex comedy led by a Caucasian cast.

On its merits, Lim’s film has its solid leading ladies having the best possible time leaning into increasingly bizarre situations for comedic purposes and, at times, it truly is a joy to watch the fun and debauchery unfold.

The tone set by the frustrating screenplay from writers Cherry Chevapravatdumrong and Teresa Hsiao, however, just ruins so much as the actresses have to work alternately at character and comedy, and half of the group lacking any true reason for being along on the journey really stifles the narrative flow.

“Joy Ride” sees childhood best friends Audrey and Lolo traveling to China after Audrey brings Lolo along to translate at a high-level business meeting. When two of their friends tag along to help search for Audrey’s birth mother, hijinks run amok as the four take a wild trip across China for answers.

Ashley Park is fine as the responsible adopted daughter Audrey and while these characters are usually written stiff by comparison to their cohorts, Park occasionally comes off a touch more grating than probably intended, but her efforts do allow her costars to really shine.

Sherry Cola, best known on Freeform’s “Good Trouble,” is the best part of “Joy Ride” as Lolo, the free-spirited, hypersexual best friend who both drives the narrative and hits her punchlines the hardest with terrific physicality and nuance.

Oscar nominee Stephanie Hsu, fresh off of Best Picture winner “Everything Everywhere All At Once,” delivers another surprising and unique performance as good girl with a wild side Kat. Although the script doesn’t her the ability to stretch her dramatic side as much, Hsu excels at playing both sides of the coin as Kat struggles to maintain a more modest image.

Newcomer Sabrina Wu often steals moments as the socially awkward Deadeye and her flat, stoic demeanor helps make some tender scenes work as they are so unexpected from the character.

As R-rated comedies go, “Joy Ride” attacks its audience aggressively with risqué sexual jokes throughout and an absurd drug sequence that forces several of the women to ingest life-threatening amounts of cocaine that, while humorous, may be too bombastic for some audiences.

Whether intended or not, some of the comic sequences feel excessive in their line-crossing to the point where it feels like Lim and her writers are trying to one up other comedies just to try to be on equal ground.

For a first-time filmmaker, there’s not a ton of flash or pizzazz to the cinema in “Joy Ride,” but Lim does a solid job setting up her cast for success despite the rougher edges of the screenplay.

Films like “Joy Ride” will need a solid moviegoing audience in order to convince studios to continue taking chances like this, but there’s not enough to the film as a whole that makes it a must see in theaters and some audiences may prefer a more casual home viewing at the end of the year.

July 3, 2023 · Watch the trailer

Nostalgia in cinema is quite a magnificent thing when it works properly.

In recent years, movie studios have delved backed into franchises to create new, modern, takes on existing IP with aging actors to great effect most notably with the resurgence of “Top Gun: Maverick” and the pinnacle of Daniel Craig’s turn as James Bond in “No Time To Die.”

This past weekend, a now 80-year-old Harrison Ford returns to the big screen for his fifth appearance as Indiana Jones in the first film, not to be directed by Steven Spielberg, common James Mangold’s “Indiana Jones And The Dial Of Destiny,” a more proper sendoff for the iconic archaeologist/grave digger/hero of history.

It’s a wildly, more satisfying turn than “Indiana Jones And The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull,” a much-maligned, an interesting, bombastic way to set up a future franchise that did not work and mangled and his team do a terrific job re-centering the audience away from “Crystal Skull” with a more heartfelt, entertaining, engaging end to the franchise.

At two-and-a-half hours, this film is significantly longer than much of its better predecessors, although audiences do see Indiana towards retirement age, still squaring off against remaining members of the Nazi Party to protect the world from domination by the Third Reich using a dial with immense power designed by Archimedes.

Ford is once again terrific at the heart of this film with the titular character, Indiana Jones, bringing both swagger and gravitas to an unlikely hero who’s part Robert Langdon, part James Bond.

The accelerated age doesn’t really slow Ford down from still being a premier action movie star. His action sequences, while within the character of an aging Jones, still have a modern yet plausible everyman hero character aesthetic to Indy and Ford tremendously balances the line between his almost superhero-esque talent and the weather that years of high-level treasure hunting tolls on a man’s body.

“Dial Of Destiny” attempt to balance the scales thematically with the introduction of Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s Helena, who has some fun repartee opposite Ford and the duo seek to find the dial before Nazis can take it to change the course of humanity.

While Waller-Bridge does have a witty cadence to make certain dialogue and scenes to work, it’s largely a distraction from the main objective of getting Indy forward on his quest and the overall film could’ve been much tighter had some of the unnecessarily side character work been trimmed or better integrated into the story.

Mads Mikkelsen is his consummate, professional self as the villain of the film, and although the script does not allow him to be as complex as his fantastic turn as Le Chiffre in the James Bond film “Casino Royale,” he does bring gravitas and menace to the role that really works to help provide stakes in an accelerated timeline for Indy to find the titular MacGuffin dial before the bad guys do.

While Mangold is a terrific filmmaker, “Dial Of Destiny” doesn’t quite have the same pop that seminal classics “Raiders Of The Lost Ark or “The Last Crusade” do and his film feels a bit bloated within its run time. But within these larger context of current cinema trends, this is one of the better summer blockbusters to come along in recent years.

Action sequences are exceptionally well measured and cut together to maintain a pique of interest that really makes some of the more mundane storytelling stick out as a sore thumb.

In the context of the overall Indiana Jones franchise, “Dial of Destiny” might have a case to be the third best of the five films, though more than likely most cinephiles will put “Temple Of Doom” above it with “Crystal Skull” by far the worst of the five.

It does serve as a terrific endcap to Ford’s illustrious career as the character and has enough spectacle and nostalgia to really make something audiences might want to check out in theaters, though it does not quite approach the same highs that “Top Gun: Maverick” and “No Time To Die” did for their respective franchises.

June 25, 2023 · Watch the trailer

Movie studios used to make a lot more quality comedies. The scripts were funny; premises were unique, and stories were sharp and to the point.

It wasn’t just about making people laugh; there was a purpose behind why you’re making a movie. It made you feel good, have a chuckle or cry, but, regardless, the story always came first.

Nowadays, comedies have largely been relegated to streaming services as they seem to be the easiest way to churn out something quick with little thought or nuance to it.

On the rare occasion where a studio pushes their comedy to a theatrical release, something usually just doesn’t feel right about it.

This is especially true with the latest Jennifer Lawrence film, “No Hard Feelings,” from writer/director Gene Stupnitsky, a raunchy yet somewhat tame sex comedy that finds the Oscar winner seducing and dating an awkward 19-year-old boy to earn a car and save her family home.

Lawrence is exceptional in this movie as she is in almost any role she plays, making the most of the increasingly awkward situation by leaning in and twisting the knife deeper as both Lawrence and her character Maddie relish in the audacity of the situation’s that she and Percy find themselves in.

As much as he tries, there’s not a lot of complexity to the character, however, as a story of a troubled family history feels somewhat forced into the larger narrative and doesn’t really balance with the overall plot of the film.

Newcomer Andrew Barth Feldman is a revelation and a perfect foil to Lawrence’s more demonstrative, forward performance. His shy introvert comes across as affable and sweet while not overly naïve, but there’s just something to the film as a whole that feels wrong.

It has to be done with an older woman teaching a younger man in a “Graduate”-esque manner to be palatable in 2023. If the roles reversed where a 30-something man was hired to take a teenage girl’s virginity – even if she were technically of age – it would come across as creepy and predatory.

Luckily, Lawrence and Feldman keep the film from going completely off the rails, but the awkwardness of the tone goes beyond the comedic and into often cringeworthy territory.

What makes “No Hard Feelings” incredibly upsetting is the ways in which it infantilizes emotional men and basically attempts to teach boys that their timidity and emotional fragility is a hinderance to their life and sexual prowess will break them out of their shell to lead a successful life.

Men who grew up this way or boys struggling to talk to girls understandably feel shame watching “No Hard Feelings” as it only cushions the blow by making Percy seem like a poor, unfortunate soul whose life will begin once he’s been with a woman.

There are genuinely funny moments in the film, most of which rely on Lawrence’s commitment to the bit or gag, especially one sequence featuring full nudity from the Oscar winner in a skinny-dipping scene that provides a lot of humor, but the age gap and emotional maturity differences between Maddie and Percy aren’t ever fully addressed in a respectful, responsible manner.

Much of Stupnitsky’s writing is done in half measures as if he has this great concept for older woman paid off to seduce younger man with a couple of gags and then has to piecemeal fill in the blanks in order to create a cohesive narrative structure backfilling the story.

The best comedies are story first with the jokes supporting the narrative. “No Hard Feelings” does the complete opposite to moderate success at best.

Because streaming services are endlessly desperate for content, there’s no doubt that “No Hard Feelings” will ultimately end up gaining a second life on Netflix at some point later this year thanks to a deal Sony and the streamer made for exclusive rights of their films.

While the film might be somewhat more entertaining with a packed audience, there’s no reason that it’s a must-see in theaters.

June 19, 2023 · Watch the official trailer

It seems like every other month, there’s a very underwhelming superhero movie release in theaters.

Marvel has taken major steps backwards since “Avengers: Endgame” and aside from a standalone “The Batman” film, DC has absolutely no idea what it’s doing with its main comic book properties.

The latest iteration of misguided, chaotic, poorly scripted comic book fodder comes in the form of director Andy Muschietti’s “The Flash,” a long-delayed feature film about the world’s fastest man and a key member of DC’s iconic Justice League of America.

A film about The Flash has been long in development with DC hoping to bring the character into its shared universe as early as 2016, but rewrites and directorial changes pushed the film several times until its ultimate release this past weekend.

Much like so many other films in recent years, “The Flash” leans heavily into the world of time-travel, multiple universes and “Back To The Future” references in order to draw box office revenue.

In perhaps the weakest in all of these iterations, “The Flash” uses its embattled star Ezra Miller to play multiple versions of his Barry Allen/The Flash character on screen simultaneously as Barry races back in time in order to stop his mother’s murder to chaotic events.

Miller often is the only actor on screen for large segments of the film, and while there are points where the awkwardness Miller brings to the character provides some comic relief, the film is most just a slog to get through and Miller isn’t able to solely maintain audience interest.

The best parts of “The Flash” come when characters outside of Miller’s Barry Allen are on screen.

The first act of the film features Ben Affleck’s likely final turn as Batman, extending off of Zach Snyder’s “Justice League” and it seems as if Affleck has finally found his footing in the role as he leaves it in the midst of another studio reboot.

“The Flash” also leans heavily into cameos from prior comic book films, much like “Spider-Man: No Way Home.”

It isn’t a spoiler to say that Michael Keaton makes his return from his 1980s run as Batman brought to modern times and Keaton’s eclectic performance is singlehandedly the best thing about the entire film even though he’s just spouting catchphrases and performing standard dialogue. Keaton brings a cool factor that the rest of “The Flash” simply does not have.

For a film called “The Flash,” the action sequences with the titular character are incredibly monotonous, repetitive and fail to have the dazzling special effect in the same way that Fox was able to pull off with a similarly fast character, Quicksilver, in “X-Men: Days of Future Past.”

Even though the screenplay has a muddled quality to it after the film has lived in development hell for the better part of a decade, the most egregious flaws in “The Flash” come from its chaotic CGI, which does not look clean or crisp and has a very disorienting sensation to it that make action sequences uninteresting to watch and completely disengaging the audience from the narrative at several key moments.

Muschietti and his production team strangely treat the several iterations of Batman and other heroes scattered throughout the film with greater visual flair than Allen, which is a shame given how unique the powers of The Flash can make for dynamic cinema.

Because it is a DC property under the purview of Warner Brothers, “The Flash” will live on in perpetuity on the company’s Max streaming service, where completionists of DC’s filmography should actually see the film rather than wasting time and money going to the theaters.

This is especially true given that it’s unclear if anything in “The Flash” will matter in the long run as the entire narrative could be dropped and rebooted at any moment.

June 12, 2023 · Watch the trailer

Animation has often had the stigma of being cartoonish, for children, and not artistic enough for sophisticated audiences.

Even though many animated films have been wildly successful for me, both critical and commercial standpoint, there’s a distinctive stereotype of the genre that places it below other genres of filmmaking.

Over the years, Disney and Pixar have pushed the limitations for what animation can bring to the silver screen through impactful, emotional narratives, but it’s especially rare to find animated work that begs to be seen on the largest screen possible regardless of the content of the story behind it.

“Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse,” a direct sequel to 2018’s Academy Award winning “Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse,” replicates everything magical about the original film both thematically and visually, while opening a much deeper, intricate multiverse for audiences to swing through.

Set about a year after the events of the first film, Miles Morales has tried to balance his duties as Spider-Man with every day high school life until a battle with a world-bending villain unlocks a multiverse of “Spider-People” and a threat to their worlds far greater than any of them have faced alone.

For an animated superhero film, the narrative is exceptionally layered with poignant themes of family and how key moments in a person’s life shape who they become. The screenplay from terrifically blends the character work from the original film with overarching narratives of the Spider-Man character both from the comic books as well as other film iterations to create a narrative on par with the drama from last year’s Best Picture winning “Everything Everywhere All At Once.”

The vocal talent bringing “Across The Spider-Verse” to life largely carries over from the first film with Shameik Moore leading the way in a terrific turn as Miles that continues his evolution from average team to conflicted hero with an emphasis on Miles finding his own path while being true to his family.

Returning voices like Hailee Steinfeld as Spider-Gwen, Brian Tyree Henry as Miles’ father and Jake Johnson as Peter B. Parker all overdeliver in their continuations, but it’s Oscar Isaac’s more brooding, nuanced turn as Miguel aka Spider-Man 2099 that helps vault “Across The Spider-Verse” to the next level by maintaining a quality of drama amid the increasingly complex, largely surreal nature of the plot.

It’s taken nearly four-and-a-half years from the first film for audiences to finally see the magic of “Into The Spider-Verse” continued, but the wait is more than worth it as Sony Pictures Animation delivers an astounding visual cavalcade of arresting moments that just happen to be wrapped up in the frame of a superhero movie.

While it’s true that many of the visuals in “Across The Spider-Verse” have a distinctive comic-book tint to them, the level of nuance and detail that create the fabric of each frame – often on a pixel by pixel level – is truly astonishing to witness and the intricacy of the animation team to showcase unique, sometimes outlandish characters with precision.

The entire film is sheer visual perfection from start to finish, though a spectacular chase sequence in the latter half of “Across The Spider-Verse” has a chaotic, frantic nature meant to overwhelm the audience with subtle comic book nods and Easter eggs while also transforming the animated comic book genre with the best action sequence ever drawn.

“Across The Spider-Verse” can feel stretched beyond its means at times. As the longest animated film produced by an American studio, its 140-minute run time occasionally drags while the movie explains all the universe hopping that Miles and Gwen do, yet the visual artistry at work here far overshadows any lag in the narrative.

Beyond its status as a premier animated movie, “Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse” is perhaps one of, if not the, best film to arrive theatrically in 2023 and is undoubtedly the frontrunner for Best Animated Film at next year’s Oscars.

Whether audiences have comic book exhaustion or not, this dazzling, visually magnificent film proves itself to be a must-see and the official start of summer blockbuster season in theaters.