In the latest adaptation of Stephen King’s The Stand, Whoopi Goldberg is Mother Abagail and Alexander Skarsgard is Randall Flagg, the Dark Man. It’s still set in a future version of the United States (which resembles today’s society) where a military-level virus gets out and kills the majority of the population. Those who remain are…
HBO Max’s original Victorian steampunk fantasy revolves around a group of people in London in the 19th century who wrestle with the powers they discover they have. It’s like the X-men meets Victorian England, from the ever-creative mind of Joss Whedon (Buffy the Vampire Slayer), where women with powers rise up to confront the injustice…
Bruce Timm has more of an impact on the DC Universe than the casual fans of the DC films can understand. His creations, Batman: The Animated Series, Batman Beyond, Justice League Unlimited, and The New Batman Adventures, have captured the attention of animation fans and young children for years. Now, thanks to an unlocking of…
In Joe Carnahan’s first film in seven years, the director of The A-Team, Smokin’ Aces, and The Grey moves Gerard Butler, Frank Grillo, and relative newcomer Alexis Louder around the inside of an isolated police station in Nevada. Grillo’s “fixer” Teddy Muretto forces his own arrest by Louder’s rookie police officer Valerie Young, with hitman…
Disrespected, ignored, and abused, hotel worker Ana (Grace Van Patten) exists in a world where men are largely abusive, violent, and maniacal. Thrust through a looking glass scenario, Ana tumbles like Alice into a paradise of sorts, where women lure passing soldiers to their deaths, like the Sirens of Greek mythology. A revenge fantasy of…
The ninth episode in the Fast & the Furious stream of action flicks takes our crew of car thieves-turned-government-heroes into space. Seriously. Your ability to appreciate the film depends on how you read that first sentence. It’s either a recognition that when you jump sharks, you keep looking for the next shark to jump, or…
Mare of Easttown was an unexpected gem, first telecast on HBO Max and now available via DVD. Over seven episodes, Kate Winslet’s detective Mare Sheehan navigates the troubling world of her hometown, where she once starred on the basketball court for her high school, and now lives in a tenuous web of family and relationships….
Based on Anthony Burgess’ novel, Stanley Kubrick’s Clockwork Orange dives into a satirical (murderous) discourse on the nature of humanity and free will. Along the way, it’ll question where a person can be forced to be good or if goodness can only be determined by the actions a person makes on their own. It’s a…
Before he was helming The Godfather, Apocalypse Now, or The Outsiders, Francis Ford Coppola began his directing career with a Psycho knock-off commissioned by Roger Corman with funds left over from Corman’s The Young Racers. The end result is a black-and-white film that shows the worst in human behavior, and grounds the story in human…
Whenever I’m asked what my favorite movies are, The Shawshank Redemption always appears in my top five. Rewatching the film again in beautifully clear 4K Ultra HD, it’s at the top of the list, a remarkable story (“Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption”) by Stephen King translated to the screen by the talented Frank Darabont (The…
