4 Stars – Page 5

Review – Annihilation

Posted on February 24, 2018October 17, 2018 by Adam

I haven't figured this movie out yet. And that's both a good and bad thing. It's good because sometimes we need to be surprised, and baffled, and dumbfounded, and confused. That's what keeps us interested. That's what sparks our own creativity. It's what makes us keep coming back for more. It's what prolongs the movie-going experience. I'm still thinking about Ann...

Micro Review – Creed

Posted on February 23, 2018October 17, 2018 by Adam

This Ryan Coogler guy knows what he's doing. Creed was better than I expected. Michael B Jordan was better than expected. Both sports and movies can have the ability to increase the heat rate, get the adrenaline pumping, and truly inspire us. That's why sports movies can be so fun to watch. It's even better when there's great character development and world building to back it ...

Micro Review – Black Panther

Posted on February 19, 2018October 17, 2018 by Adam

This was a necessary movie. Necessary for Marvel, certainly, whose landscape is positively bursting with white people. And necessary for the film industry at large. Black Panther is a cultural sensation. And rightly so. It's a well made movie, full of interesting characters and cool action sequences, and it has a backbone too. It doesn't feel cheap. And it very much could h...

Micro Review – Captain America: Civil War

Posted on February 19, 2018October 17, 2018 by Adam

I'm glad they went in this direction. My biggest gripe with super hero movies is the destruction. It just seems an old trick, to cause massive damage to cities. Sure, it's cool looking. But we needed a bit more creativity. And Civil War addresses this destruction in its own way, which is a nice change of pace. And it also felt like it had a bit more weight to it than previous M...

Micro Review – Captain America: The Winter Soldier

Posted on February 18, 2018October 17, 2018 by Adam

I liked this better than the first one. Really entertaining super hero flick. I'm starting to get why Captain America is so popular. Never thought I would type that sentence. 4 out of 5

Review – The Florida Project

Posted on February 17, 2018October 17, 2018 by Adam

Half way through the movie I got up to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. The film transports you back to childhood, when everything was bright and colorful, when there was nothing to worry about, when you could scream at the top of your lungs as you got into mischief with your friends. I was so transported to that time, in fact, that I stopped to enhance my nostalgia...

Micro Review – Logan Lucky

Posted on February 16, 2018October 17, 2018 by Adam

Ocean’s 11 meets Hell or High Water meets Shawshank Redemption. Hell of a fun movie, with magnetic characters and a sharp script, expertly executed. How does Steven Soderbergh do it time and again? 4 out of 5 stars

Micro Review – Spiderman: Homecoming

Posted on February 14, 2018October 17, 2018 by Adam

This movie perfectly captures the awkwardness of being a teenager. Because a lot of it is super awkward. But it's Spiderman. It'll always be cool. 4 out of 5 stars

Micro Review – Baby Driver

Posted on January 31, 2018October 17, 2018 by Adam

File this one under the “incredibly fun to watch” category. If I recall correctly, when this came out there was an attempt to make it seem like something bigger than just an entertainment flick. Or maybe not – maybe I am misremembering, or confusing the attention that it got. Either way, it’s not bigger than an entertainment flick. It’s a fun car chase movie, with some real...

Micro Review – Darkest Hour

Posted on January 26, 2018October 17, 2018 by Adam

Yes, Darkest Hour is the perfect companion piece to Dunkirk, and vice versa. But both of these movies work by themselves too. Darkest Hour stands on its own merits. It can be just as intense and gripping as Dunkirk, even without the battle scenes. Gary Oldman’s portrayal of Churchill can sometimes be exasperating. It’s almost as if he’s taken on too much of his real life in...