Always be my Maybe – Maybe the Best Rom-Com of the Year?

Director: Nahnatchka Khan Writers: Michael Golamco, Randall Park, and Ali Wong Producers: Brendan Ferguson, Brady Fujikawa, Michael Golamco, Nathan Kahane, Randall Park, Erin Westerman, and Ali Wong Starring: Ali Wong, Randall Park, James Saito, Michelle Buteau, Vivian Bang, Keanu Reeves, Susan Park, Daniel Dae Kim, Karan Soni, Charlyne Yi, and Casey Wilson —————————————————————————————————————————————– Always be […]

Toy Story 4 – Childlike Existentialism

Director: Josh Cooley Writers: John Lasseter, Andrew Stanton, Josh Cooley, Valerie LaPointe, Rashida Jones, Will McCormack, Martin Hynes, and Stephany Folsom Producers: Peter Docter, Mark Nielsen, Jonas Rivera, Andrew Stanton, Lee Unkrich ————————————————————————————————————————————– Toy Story 4 somehow manages to explore the most complex and profound themes at the heart of human existence through the eyes […]

Disney’s Aladdin (2019) – A Magic Carpet Thrill Ride

Director: Guy Ritchie Writers: John August and Guy Ritchie Producers: Ivan Atkinson, Kevin De La Noy, Jonathan Eirich, Max Keene, Dan Lin, Karl McMillan, Mark Mostyn, and Marc Platt Starring: Mena Massoud, Will Smith, Naomi Scott, Marwan Kenzari, Navid Negahban, and Nasim Pedrad ————————————————————————————————————————————– Despite some narrative bloat, one too many climaxes, and a slightly […]

SHAZAM! – Gods, Wizards, and Children, Oh My!

Director: David Sandberg Writers: Henry Gayden and Darren Lemke *Comic book characters created by Bill Parker and C.C. Beck* Producers: Jeffrey Chernov, Dany Garcia, Hiram Garcia, Geoff Johns, Dwayne Johnson, Peter Safram, Adam Schlagman, and David Witz Starring: Zachary Levi, Mark Strong, Asher Angel, Jack Dylan Grazer, Adam Brody, Djimon Hounsou, Faithe Herman, Grace Fulton, […]

Avengers: Endgame – Finality, New Beginnings, and Everything in Between

Directors: Joe and Anthony Russo Executive Producers: Kevin Feige, Victoria Alonso, Louis D’Esposito, Jon Favreau, Michael Grillo, James Gunn, Stan Lee, and Trinh Tran Writers: Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely *Based on comic book storylines and characters created by Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, Steve Ditko, and Jim Starlin Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Chris […]

The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind: Chiwetel Ejiofor’s Moving Directorial Debut

Oscar-nominated actor Chiwetel Ejiofor makes his screenwriting and directorial debut with “The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind,” based on the autobiographical book from William Kamkwamba. Detailing the remarkable story of a young man in an extremely poverty-stricken region of Malawi on the continent of Africa, this narrative follows William (Maxwell Simba) as he overcomes starvation, […]

Happy Death Day 2 U: Bends the Mind, and the Genre

A few weeks ago, I reviewed 2017’s “Happy Death Day” from director Christopher Landon (in association with Blumhouse Productions), in preparation for the newly released “Happy Death Day 2 U.” Here is a recap of my thoughts from the sequel: While the first “Happy Death Day” placed more focus on creating a horror comedy, “Happy […]

Sorry to Bother You: MARVELOUSLY FREAKY

Hip-hop musician Boots Riley makes his screenwriting and directing debut with 2018’s “Sorry to Bother You.” To describe this film with all synonyms in the English language for the word “bizarre” would not even do it justice. “Sorry to Bother You” is peculiar, quirky, outlandish, ridiculous, and satirical, yet socially-convicting, fleshed out, existential, and richly-themed. […]

A Star is Born: Cooper and Gaga Truly are “Stars”

Bradley Cooper’s directorial debut is undoubtedly one of 2018’s best films, earning 7 Oscar nominations, including Best Picture. This beautifully captivating, yet devastatingly real and tragically authentic story follows the world-famous musician Jackson Maine (Cooper) and his relationship with Ally (Lady Gaga), a restaurant employee/nightclub performer who finally realizes her true dream of becoming a […]

Titans: A Somber, Yet Exciting, DC Universe Original Series

A DC Universe online streaming service original, “Titans” is a dark and gritty portrayal of our favorite innocent team of young heroes, led by a ruthless and troubled former Boy Wonder himself (Brenton Thwaites). Joined by the likes of Firestar (Anna Diop), Beast Boy (Ryan Potter), Wondergirl (Conor Leslie), Hawk (Alan Ritchson) & Dove (Minka […]