You know that footage you saw in the Avengers: Endgame trailers? It’s all from the first 15 minutes of a 184 minute film that feels like an 18.4 minute film. You know how some movies have principal cast members names flash on screen before the proper credits scroll by? I counted 65 of those. You know how our normal review format has a premise, high point, low point, and then at least seven more paragraphs discussing the various aspects in detail? I cannot think of any way to discuss any moment of the film not present in the trailers without spoiling something major. Avengers: Infinity War was just the warm up for this one, and as far as I can tell, every single person involved knocked it out of the park. My expectations for quality were exceeded. My expectations for story points were not only completely off the mark, they were not nearly as good as what we actually got. Suffice it to say that I’m giving the movie a perfect 42/42, and encourage everyone with even the slightest interest to see this before any aspect of the film gets spoiled.
Movies
April 26, 2019
“Avengers: Endgame” Review (sort of)
W. Blaine Dowler Marvel Cinematic Universe Movies
April 20, 2019
Weekend Review: Annihilation (2018)
Last weekend, we reviewed Sorry to Bother You, a Hugo-nominated indie film that we missed the first time around. This Weekend Review looks at another genre-warping Hugo-nominee that many people ignored on first run, Annihilation.
April 15, 2019
Shazam! Tops the Box Office Again. Hellboy debuts at #3.
April 14, 2019
Weekend Review: Sorry to Bother You
Like many people, we missed this indie SF satire from rapper/composer turned writer/director Boots Riley. Its nomination for a Hugo makes it this week’s Weekend Review.
April 14, 2019
Aquaman (2018): Make Me Watch It #28
W. Blaine Dowler Aquaman, DCEU, Make Me Watch It, Podcast Movies, Podcasts
The latest subject of Make Me Watch It is Aquaman (2018), directed by James Wan. The updated and maintained list of options for “Make Me Watch It” can be found here. You can name up to ten movies you’d like me to cover here. The series can also be found on Stitcher, on iTunes, or in a direct RSS feed.
March 31, 2019
Weekend Review– Phobe: The Xenophobic Experiments (1995)
Back in the early 1990s, a young auteur set out to make a low-budget, feature length SF film. Negotiations with a backer to fund the film fell through, so she decided to shoot it on her own, with a budget of $250.00, borrowed and donated equipment (she worked for a local cable station), and friends and family as volunteer actors.
In the era before Youtube, it picked up its cult following through local cable broadcasts and SF Cons. It finally found its way to an actual theatre in 2016, and in 2017, a remastered version made it onto DVD.
Phobe proves surprisingly watchable.
March 24, 2019
Movie Review – Us
Be warned: this trailer, in the contemporary manner, reveals a little too much. And yet, it doesn’t begin to show you where Jordan Peele’s new horror-movie goes….
March 23, 2019
Movie Review – “Shazam!”
W. Blaine Dowler DCEU, Justice League Movies
What do you get when you combine the wisdom of Solomon, the strength of Hercules, the stamina of Atlas, the power of Zeus, the courage of Achilles, and the speed of Mercury? The best DC comics superhero movie since Wonder Woman, that’s what!
April 30, 2019
Trailer Park Tuesday: Oh My God, What Have They Done? Edition
Brian Godzilla, MIB, Movies, TPT, Trailers Movies
A quick round up of newer trailers online, including the ill-advised and frankly frightening Sonic the Hedgehog.
More…