Director: Doug Liman Writer: Dan Bryant, Christopher McQuarrie Studio: Warner Bros. Pictures Production Budget: $178,000,000 Plot: A soldier fighting aliens gets to relive the same day over and over again, the day restarting every time he dies. Starring: Tom Cruise, Emily Blunt, Bill Paxton Review: Edge of Tomorrow was the first time this summer where…
Category: Film
Top Gun: Maverick Pushes Tom Cruise Far and Away from Acting into Icon Mode
When the last Tom Cruise movie was out, I wrote about how his recent movies required little acting. That continues with Top Gun: Maverick shifting Cruise from stuntman to an icon. At 56 years old, there’s a reluctance to put Cruise on the same level as his co-stars in case they outshine him. There are…
2022 Oscars Review: Bad Company
“Did I miss anything?” comedian Amy Schumer said several minutes after Will Smith publicly assaulted Chris Rock on stage. That was the most direct acknowledgment of the incident. Anthony Hopkins recited Will Smith’s Oscar winning speech in a presentation saying we should move on with peace and love. Chris Rock declined to file a police…
Review: ‘Uncharted’ is Adaptable as a Gen Z Blockbuster
From the moment an Uncharted movie was announced over 10 years ago, I was half in the bag. I really enjoyed Mark Wahlberg in The Fighter (still his best performance) and the credibility of what a director like David O. Russell could bring to the table was exciting (see also Silver Linings Playbook) despite Wahlberg…
Jason Bourne Battles Kylo Ren in ‘The Last Duel’, One of Ridley Scott’s Best
The Last Duel has had an interesting critical climb. Its story flaws are present right upfront. Par for the course for director Ridley Scott whose movies often accompany questionable character logic. Here that uncertainty is utilized for strength in a joint screenplay by Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, and Nicole Holofcener each writing their Rashomon-style parts. Damon…
For a Moment, The Hunger Games Set the World on Fire: Lost Review 103
I have been looking to write this review for some time. 8 years in fact. For reasons of a busy schedule, I was unable to write a review until now. Having rewatched it I see why it was such a difficult film to review. It is more product than film. When I wrote my final…
Denis Villeneuve Offers a Rock-Solid ‘Dune’ to the Masses
It’s funny to me how much fear vibrated through the sands ever since the first frame of this movie was released. Dune is based on a 1965 book and subsequent book series. It has quite the fanbase. A 1984 film adaptation from David Lynch and Dino DeLaurentis failed critically and financially. This version’s distributor and…
Robbie to play Barbie. Gosling to play Ken. From the Writer of Marriage Story and the Director of Little Women.
Warner Bros. and Mattel production will shoot sometime in early 2020. This is a dream come true! Anyone will get onboard with a fun movie or a good story, especially when they adapt a well known property. But Warner Bros. went the extra mile taking someone from the indie scene with a reputation as an…
De Vil Wears Dior: Did Cruella Cure COVID Box-Office Blues?
By: William Hume After keeping its Dalmatians on a leash for over a year Disney finally let the dogs out with a $200 million fashion statement. A best in class crew came together to create an epic costume period piece. Early reactions are rapturous about the fashion and looking at the ensemble that put together…
‘Coming 2 America’: 2021’s Best Costume Design
The most important thing for a belated comedy sequel to get right is the vibe. The recent Bill and Ted 3, also got this right. These films understand if your movie feels like it belongs, less of a burden will be on the the laughter. Eddie Murphy is long past having to prove himself and…
Revisiting ‘Orange County’ 20 Years Later
Plot: An over-achieving high schooler’s life turns upside down when a guidance counsellor mistakenly sends in the wrong application to his only applied school: Stanford. One of those movies like “Ghost World” and “Legally Blonde” where the description can’t do justice to the experience. I heard some idle talk about how this movie was proof that…
Is ‘Wonder Woman 1984’ in 2020 a Comedown or an Uplift?
This movie was supposed to come out November 1st, 2020. And yet despite the extra time the special effects are bad, the writing sloppy and the film edit drags. I can’t explain how the film came in initially hot and highly rated. Maybe during the pandemic critics were clamoring for anything. With positive reviews like…