Latest News and Reviews

Review: ‘Creed 3’ is a Rocky-less Movie Made Masterfully

Rocky Balboa, possibly the most famous film sportsman ever, his story of will, earning your place, and being the underdog has never failed to amuse the world (maybe not Rocky V, but you get the point). After three decades of films, the franchise went cold after Rocky Balboa. Until the sequel franchise in 2015, a spin-off of the original story. Creed, a sequel series about Apollo Creed’s youngest child, and only one out of wedlock, a stain on the legacy of a great man, a mistake trying to prove himself without the name of his dad, and yet claiming it as his own. Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone) was in this follow up series for the first two films, where he played the trainer and mentor of title character, Adonis Creed (Michael B. Jordan), but due to some creative differences following the tone of this new installment, Stallone bowed out of film production early, and it was left in the hands of Michael B. Jordan, who took it upon himself to direct this new installment of the franchise.

Continue reading “Review: ‘Creed 3’ is a Rocky-less Movie Made Masterfully” →

Sarah Kelley’s Top 10 Films of 2022

2022 was the greatest year for cinema since COVID, and that has a lot to do with the fact theaters stayed open the full 12 months. Despite worries from top theater chains, it seems that a few years of at-home streaming has not led to the downfall of the classic cinema experience. I mean, Avatar: The Way of Water made $2 billion worldwide, people are clearly still spending money on movie tickets.

For the first full year of releases uninterrupted by shutdowns, Hollywood delivered. Many long-awaited sequels came out this year, as well as some unexpected original gems. Once again, seeing the Oscar nominations list only serves as a reminder to how much I missed, but I really tried this year. Between my newfound appreciation for indie and arthouse cinema, and my Regal Unlimited subscription, I swear 2023 will be the year I finally see a majority of the new releases. But for now, here’s 10 of the movies I did manage to see last year, and thoroughly enjoy. 

Continue reading “Sarah Kelley’s Top 10 Films of 2022” →

Review: ‘Cocaine Bear’: High Concept, High Bear… High Art?

Inspired by the real-life urban legend of “Pablo Escobear”– a black bear who died after ingesting 30+ kilograms of cocaine discarded by notorious drug trafficker Andrew C. Thornton in 1985– Cocaine Bear proposes a profound and thought-provoking hypothetical: what would happen if a bear ate 30 kilograms of cocaine… and lived? Opening with an educational Wikipedia citation, the film informs the viewer that black bears are usually nonviolent, nonconfrontational creatures (probably out of some moral obligation to prevent a modern day “Jaws Effect”— Cocaine Bear Effect?) but contrasts their natural disposition with the mind-altering effects of crack cocaine to make the harrowing conclusion that a “Cocaine Bear” (i.e., a bear high on crack cocaine) would be an unstoppable beast, driven by an unadulterated lust for human blood, flesh, and of course… cocaine.

Continue reading “Review: ‘Cocaine Bear’: High Concept, High Bear… High Art?” →

Review: ‘Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania’ is Full of Holes

Set in the aftermath of the tumultuous events of 2019’s Avengers: Endgame, the third installment of the Ant-Man franchise, and the beginning of Marvel Studios’ Phase Five, wastes no time getting to the heart of the action, and more importantly, a proper introduction to the new “big bad.” Unfortunately, Phase Five starts not with a bang, but with a mess of characterization, pacing, and green-screen level CGI. Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania loses sight of its characters, and in the process delivers a final product devoid of meaningful stakes and filled with lackluster action. 

Continue reading “Review: ‘Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania’ is Full of Holes” →

Malia Callier’s Top 10 Films of 2022

Looking back at the past year, it’s safe to say that the cinema experience has changed for me. After spending the pandemic sitting on the couch watching movies from the comfort of my own home, it was a breath of fresh air to be able to be able to sit in a movie theater again and watch films on the big screen. It takes a lot to get oneself out of the death scroll of their phone, but here are what I thought were the best films of 2022 that were able to demand my attention and keep it entirely. While I accept criticism, I do not accept slander. So just as a warning, the trainwreck Jurassic World, Plane, and that Fantastic Beast movie with no actually notable fantastic beasts won’t even touch this list.

Continue reading “Malia Callier’s Top 10 Films of 2022” →

Review: ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ is Mythic Filmmaking

The brutal churn of state-sanctioned violence beyond America’s borders inevitably takes its toll on the people who make up the armed forces. The original Top Gun can be read as comrades coping with intense, dangerous pressure through fierce competition, though it would require overlooking how it is chiefly a (albeit very fun!) piece of American military jingoism. However, even it acknowledges that service is not without sacrifice and that some will inevitably be put in harm’s way for the sake of protecting a nation’s interests.

Continue reading “Review: ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ is Mythic Filmmaking” →

Review: ‘Knock at the Cabin’ is a Good Thriller but a Watered-Down Adaptation

M. Night Shyamalan releases are interesting. His early career is lined with amazing films with crazy twists that shift your perspective of the film, and then he released The Last Airbender and a couple other flushers, and his career has been shaky since. A lot of people really liked Split, a solid horror movie with a rising star in Anya Taylor-Joy. Then Glass became the movie people regretted was ever made, and Old was just, it wasn’t great. So, coming into Knock at the Cabin, most had the same coin flip mentality as I did: will this be something great, or will this be something that is simply there? I am here to say, I don’t know. Knock at the Cabin is an interesting film in many respects, yet also a boring film in many other respects.

Continue reading “Review: ‘Knock at the Cabin’ is a Good Thriller but a Watered-Down Adaptation” →

Spencer Malmberg’s Top 10 Films of 2022

2022 was certainly a year for cinema, there were a lot of movies that came out, both in theaters and digitally through streaming services with a lot of really good films, and a lot of really bad films. Notable flops include the works of Marvel’s 4th Thor attempt and the weird inclusion of Morbius into the Sony catalog that no one was asking for. Also, worth noting the thousands of awful low budget romcoms on streaming services where the only claim to fame is the fact that they got an old Disney Channel teen to be in a movie where they make sex jokes. Also, Jurassic World was bad. 

Continue reading “Spencer Malmberg’s Top 10 Films of 2022” →

Review: ‘Infinity Pool’: A Vacation that Goes off the Deep End

An affinity for the unsettling seemingly runs in the Cronenberg family, and Brandon Cronenberg’s latest work Infinity Pool certainly upholds this legacy. Failing novelist James Foster (Alexander Skarsgård) and his well-off wife Em (Cleopatra Coleman) are vacationing at a high-end resort located on a developing island country when they meet the mysterious Gabi (Mia Goth) and Alban Bauer (Jalil Lespert). The Bauers charm the Fosters into venturing outside of the resort grounds for some sightseeing in the countryside, off limits due to strict— and violent— government regulations. After a reckless mistake finds the couple in trouble with the law, they discover the depraved manner in which justice is served in this country. 

Continue reading “Review: ‘Infinity Pool’: A Vacation that Goes off the Deep End” →

Brenna Robinson’s Top 10 Films of 2022

I’m not sure I’m qualified to declare whether or not it’s been a “good year” for film. Like everyone else, I spent the first two years of the pandemic watching movies in my bedroom, so to have an entire year that felt almost normal– the theaters opening again, delayed projects finally getting released— is enough for me to count 2022 as a massive win. The fact that some of the new releases from this year have made their way onto my list of all-time favorites certainly doesn’t hurt either. 

Continue reading “Brenna Robinson’s Top 10 Films of 2022” →