Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga (2024)

Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga (2024)

[3] Anya Taylor-Joy (The Witch) plays a younger version of the character Charlize Theron played in 2015's brilliant Mad Max: Fury Road in this prequel co-written and directed by series creator George Miller. We learn Furiosa's backstory -- how she…
In the Heart of the Sea (2015)

In the Heart of the Sea (2015)

[7] Director Ron Howard tackles the (more or less) true story that inspired Herman Melville to write Moby Dick. Chris Hemsworth stars as the determined first mate of the New England whaling ship Essex, which is destroyed by a mammoth…
Star Trek (2009)

Star Trek (2009)

[7] Director J.J. Abrams reboots the Star Trek franchise with a new cast playing the original 1960s crew. The cast is perhaps the best thing about this new movie, particularly Chris Pine as James T. Kirk and Zachary Quinto as…
Thor: Love and Thunder (2022)

Thor: Love and Thunder (2022)

[5] Thor: Love and Thunder is another Marvel movie. It is better than a few other Marvel movies, but not as good as most. It was never torturous to watch, but if a storm knocked the movie theater's power out,…
Avengers: Endgame (2019)

Avengers: Endgame (2019)

[8] Marvel Studios chief Kevin Feige and writer/directors Joe and Anthony Russo hit a home run that should satisfy all Marvel fans with Avengers: Endgame, the climactic finale to what is essentially an 11-year story arc. It begins with the…
Bad Times at the El Royale (2018)

Bad Times at the El Royale (2018)

[8] I very much enjoyed Drew Goddard's previous work on Cloverfield and The Cabin in the Woods, and I'm a big fan of single-location ensemble stories, so I was excited to see what Goddard had in store with Bad Times…
Avengers: Infinity War (2018)

Avengers: Infinity War (2018)

[8] I've been hard on Marvel movies for being cookie-cutter and devoid of surprises, but Avengers: Infinity War stops that trend dead in its tracks. Directors Anthony and Joe Russo (Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Civil War) are downright…
Thor: Ragnarok (2017)

Thor: Ragnarok (2017)

[7] After a mediocre beginning and a truly shitty-ass sequel, Marvel has made the wise decision of scrapping the Thor character as originally conceived and giving him a personality make-over. And that's why it feels like Thor has been possessed by…
A Perfect Getaway (2009)

A Perfect Getaway (2009)

[7] What appears to be a hackneyed vacation nightmare movie turns out to be a fresh thriller from reliable writer/director David Twohy (Pitch Black, Below). The script takes a cue from Scream, reaching a level of self-reference that allows it…
The Avengers (2012)

The Avengers (2012)

[7] Director Joss Whedon (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Serenity) does a better job than most others in the past ten years bringing a superhero franchise to the big screen. What makes The Avengers work are character and humor, the elements…