Film & TV

‘Stranger Things’ Season 4 Delivers Horror, Excitement, and Compelling Story Lines

Forrest Hartman

The new season of Stranger Things is really like a series of short movies, each running just long enough to get the story told. The shortest episode checks in at 64 minutes, the longest at 98. This trend of editing programming to the “right” length rather than a prescribed advertising outline, may be the greatest benefit of streaming, as it simply allows content creators to tell their stories. With Stranger Things Season 4, those stories are well told.

Why ‘Jurassic Park’s’ Special Effects Look Much Better Than ‘Jurassic World’s’

Ben Friedman

“Welcome to Jurassic Park.” The four words that usher in a new generation of visual filmmaking. In that moment, when Richard Attenborough’s character welcomes the cast, and consequently, the viewer, into the park, the impossible becomes possible. For 126 minutes, we, the audience believed that dinosaurs once again walked the earth. They were as real as Jeff Goldblum, Sam Neil, and Laura Dern, who stood beside them.

‘Top Gun: Maverick’ Offers Great Flight Scenes and Bad Characters

Ulises Duenas

The parts where Maverick is training the new students are the highlight of the movie because the scenes in the jets are a visual spectacle. That all leads up to the climax of the mission itself, which is well done. It’s just a shame that the scenes that don’t involve someone flying a jet are of flat characters and a by-the-numbers romantic subplot. I don’t blame them for trying to turn Maverick into a more complicated character who is still wrestling with his grief, but in doing so, the writers show their over-reliance on the original movie for references.

‘Chip ‘n Dale: Rescue Rangers’ Is a Nostalgia Cash-Grab Done Right

Ulises Duenas

The way that this movie satirizes modern Hollywood is great. After growing tired of playing the dumb sidekick, Dale tries to go solo and eventually gets a procedure done to make him look like a modern CG animated 3-D character with textured fur. His reasoning is that he needed it in order to be cast in modern animated shows and movies. The plot also ties in the aspect of bootleg rip-offs with a chop-shop-like warehouse that turns beloved animated characters into ugly bootlegs used to make cheap movie rip-offs. 

‘Montana Story’ Is a Mellow, Lyrical Family Drama

D.M. Palmer

Cal and Erin struggle to meet the past on their own terms: Cal approaches life from a position of anxiety, while Erin projects tenacity; but they are equally grasping for purchase against the upheavals that have warped what was once familiar. Both performances reveal a slow seething to the surface: Richardson has a severity to her demeanor, which articulates Erin’s determination to rectify old wounds and pay off a karmic debt; while Teague is tortured by his inaction.

‘Doctor Strange’ Brings Lots of Flash but Little Substance

Ulises Duenas

When Disney began promoting the film, there were some who thought it would have a horror edge to it and that idea was only emboldened when Raimi was announced as the director. While Raimi’s unique touch is visible in various parts of the film, I wouldn’t say it goes far enough to truly separate it from all the Marvel movies. At this point in the Marvel cycle, there should be more chances being taken, not just with the plot but with the whole tone and dialogue of the movies.

‘Splinters’ Has Good, Subtle Characters but Lacks Drama

Ulises Duenas

Paul Gordon as David is the highlight of the movie since his delivery is so awkward and dry. David seems like a boring person doing his best to impress Anna since he and his wife recently separated. He doesn’t come off as creepy and there’s a certain charm to his droning dialogue that gives the movie a comedic aspect that it needs. While David and Joan mirror Anna and Bo in some ways, they aren't as key to the overall plot as they could have been and fleshing out their characters could have added a lot more to the movie.

‘Nitram’ Is a Devastating Portrait of Isolation and Violence

D.M. Palmer

Nitram is distinguished by three outstanding but contrasting central performances. Jones has become a screen presence who evinces vulnerability and unease in equal measure, and he is sensational here. Jones conveys an inner world of rage and confusion with tremendous subtlety, lending a tragic gloss to Nitram’s childlike simplicity and blundering attempts at social engagement. It is a frank and fearless portrayal of mental illness left to its own devices.

‘Alice’ Promises Themes of Revenge and Justice, but Fails to Deliver

Ben Friedman

Keke Palmer is a talented actress who makes the most of her screen time. Unfortunately, the script is not up to par with Palmer’s dynamic and elegant performance. The character of Alice is severely underutilized. Half of the film’s runtime is devoted to life on the plantation, thus Alice’s escape and subsequent discovery that she is in the year 1973 never gets a moment to breathe. Despite Alice finding herself in a new century, the news never seems to shock Alice.

‘The Automat’ Tells the Story of the Little Restaurant That Could

Ulises Duenas

There’s a certain magic about our favorite restaurants. They’re places where we’ve made memories with friends and family and might serve as a source of comfort. While many restaurants have been long forgotten by now, there’s one chain that resonated with many important people that is, unfortunately, no longer around: The Automat. The story and impressions this unique establishment left behind are told in the new documentary The Automat by Lisa Hurwitz.

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