The other day I was talking to a friend and he brought up the idea that there’s no such thing as a perfect movie, arguing that the best films have flaws that enhance them rather than sully them. In principle, I disagree with this (a Hitchens quote comes to mind: “It’s only true if you …...
Read MoreWhen I saw Independence Day: Resurgence last week, I was struck by how just how competent it is. That sounds like faint praise, but this a sequel that kind of has no right existing from a creative standpoint, so it could easily have coasted on nostalgia for the original (like, say, Jurassic World), ...
Read MoreBatman, like most comic characters, has gone through many different phases and versions over his seventy-seven-year history, from dark avenger to silly goofball to a sort of swashbuckling adventurer, with many different shades mixed in. His cinematic exploits have followed suit, portraying him alter...
Read MoreClint Eastwood is one of the great modern filmmakers, a man whose directing talents have landed him many Oscar nominations and widespread critical acclaim. Those accolades don’t usually extend to his work in front of the camera, however; it may be the parts he often played in his younger days, the...
Read More*Author’s Note: Like my article on Captain America, this piece was written before I saw Avengers: Age of Ultron and I decided not to alter it to accommodate that film.* Starting with Iron Man back in 2008, Marvel decided to bring the world of comic books to movie screens in a way no one had &h...
Read More*Author’s Note: This piece was written before I saw Avengers: Age Of Ultron and, as a result, doesn’t discuss Captain America’s latest MCU appearance. I find that the movie validates my thesis here, though.* During the World War II era, Captain America made a lot of sense. In a tim...
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