I loved the 1985 Fletch adaptation starring Chevy Chase, and I’ve read a few of Gregory McDonald’s novels, and have been eager to see the iconic and laconic investigative reporter return to the screen. That journey has been long and arduous and has seen many creative people involved in trying to resurrect the character. Greg…
Tag: sequel
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (2023) – Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers, and Justin K. Thompson
With Into the Spider-Verse, Sony proved they could do an animated Spider-Man movie right. They shifted the focus to Mile Morales (Shameik Moore) and let this beloved character shine, while also paying homage to the classic web-head and a multiverse of iterations. It also introduced us to another beloved spider, Gwen (Hailee Steinfeld) setting both…
Halloween II (1981) – Rick Rosenthal
And this is where the problems with the Halloween sequels start. Is it canon? Is it not? How do you define canon? John Carpenter got himself a producer’s credit for this film, as well as having a hand in editing and the music for the film, but the biggest indicator, no matter what he thought…
U.S. Marshals (1998) – Stuart Baird
Director Stuart Baird delivers a semi-sequel to 1993’s The Fugitive with this film that sees the return of Tommy Lee Jones as U.S. Marshal Sam Gerard, a role he won an Oscar for in the Harrison Ford thriller. This time around, even though he’s accompanied by a score by Jerry Goldsmith, the film doesn’t have…
A Shot in the Dark (1964) – Blake Edwards
The second film in the Pink Panther series could be argued to be the best, it puts all the familiar players on the screen with Peter Sellers, returning as Inspector Jacques Closeau. Herbert Lom is his long-suffering boss, Dreyfus, Burt Kwok is Kato, Closeau’s manservant and sparring partner, and Hercule as played by Graham Stark….
Extraction (2020) – Sam Hargrave
Sam Hargrave delivers a kinetic action thriller starring Chris Hemsworth from a story partly created by Joe Russo from the graphic novel, Ciudad. Hemsworth is Tyler Rake a mercenary who seems to be willing to take any mission that pays in the hopes of some day fulfilling a death wish caused by the loss of…
Ghostbusters: Afterlife (2021) – Jason Reitman
Ignoring the 2016 film, Ghostbusters: Afterlife leans into its nostalgia, ties itself firmly directly to the 1984 original and while it can be seen as a little oversentimental in its final act, it checked all the boxes I needed for a Ghostbusters legacy sequel. Callie (Carrie Coon) is a single mother whose absent father died…
The Apple Dumpling Gang (1975) – Norman Tokar
Like most people my age, I grew up with the Carol Burnett show and delighted in the antics of the comedic genius that was Tim Conway, so when he and Don Knotts found themselves in a family/comedy/western film for Disney alongside Bill Bixby, and familiar names and faces like Susan Clark, Harry Morgan, Slim Pickens,…
Sherlock Holmes (2009) – Guy Ritchie
Guy Ritchie brings his trademark rough and tumble style to the iconic Arthur Conan Doyle creation, Sherlock Holmes. Robert Downey Jr. steps into the titular role, and while the script plays with the literary canon and text, it remains a fun interpretation of the character. Jude Law plays the loyal Doctor John Watson, Rachel McAdams…
Top Gun: Maverick (2022) & Two-Movie 4K Review
Coming some thirty-six years after the release of the first film, Top Gun: Maverick reminded film-lovers why we love going to the movies. It was a spectacle of the highest order as viewers joined actors in the actual cockpit of jets and planes to film a sequel that pays homage to its origins while pushing…
