Some questionable narrative choices and other stylistic angles held Uncharted back from being a solid blockbuster and probably crippled its chances of turning into a franchise, which is too bad, because despite the drubbing it took, most of the film is really fun, and there’s a nice interplay between Tom Holland and Mark Wahlberg who…
Tag: set pieces
Tropic Thunder (2008) – Ben Stiller
Ben Stiller directed the ultimate Hollywood satire with Tropic Thunder. He developed the story with Justin Theroux, and the pair wrote a script with Ethan Cohen. It’s sharp, pointed, and under its endlessly quotable dialogue and performances is a skewering look at Tinsel Town. Everything seems to be a lie, from promotions to images to…
TIFF ’22: A Man of Reason
Korean film star Jung Woo-sung makes his directorial debut with the crime thriller, A Man of Reason. The story is a familiar one, but Jung’s style and performance make this entry exceptional, if a little off. Su-hyuk (Jung) has spent the past decade in jail for his boss, he kept his head down, kept quiet,…
Rambo (2008) – Sylvester Stallone
Stallone not only returns in one of his most iconic roles, but he also settles into the director’s chair to bring the grittiest incarnation of Vietnam vet to the screen. Continuity is key, and Rambo (Stallone) is still in the Far East, attempting to live a quiet life as best as he can, when, like…
Beverly Hills Cop II (1987) – 4K Review
Tony Scott came off the success of Top Gun with this follow-up to the 1984 hit Beverly Hills Cop, Beverly Hills Cop II, which is somehow thirty-five years old. To celebrate, Paramount Pictures delivers the high-octane sequel on a vibrant 4K disc. Let’s get this out of the way up front, there are no extras…
Don’t Breathe (2016) – Fede Alvarez
I was pleasantly surprised by Don’t Breathe, though I didn’t like a single character in the film. They’re all evil in their way, and that made it hard to empathize. In fact, for the first part of the film, I sympathize with the Blind Man (Stephen Lang), until that twist of course. But it’s interesting…
The Prisoner (1968) – The Girl Who Was Death, Once Upon a Time, and Fall Out
Number Six (Patrick McGoohan) is back to being a superspy in swinging London, as he matches wits with a deadly female assassin, Sonia (Justine Lord), who is looking to off him, and protect her slightly crazed father, Schnipps (Kenneth Griffith), who is planning on destroying London and establishing him as its new Napoleon-esque leader. All…
The Matrix Resurrections (2021) – 4K Review
Warner Brothers has sent me back to The Matrix with a copy of their 4K version of The Matrix Resurrections, which is available today in wonderful physical media form of blu-ray and 4K disc. Like everything after the first film, released back in 1999, this installment is as divisive as Reloaded and Revolutions, but for…
Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins (2021) – 4K Review
Paramount Pictures releases the latest film in the G.I. Joe series that reveals that franchise, three films in, is still trying to find its footing, and is already engaging in a soft reboot. This time out, we get a reimagining of the origin of two of the toys/comic book/cartoon/movies favorite characters, Snake Eyes and Storm…
Black Widow (2021) – Cate Shortland
The MCU roars back to the big screen with an emotional and action-packed thrill ride that gives Scarlett Johansson a long over due Black Widow solo film, set between the events of Civil War and Infinity War/Endgame, director Cate Shortland brings us resoundingly back into the big screen spectacle that is the MCU and defines…
The Mind Reels 