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24 Jun

The Rush Hour Movies Never Did Right by Jackie Chan

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48 Hrs. Lethal Weapon. Hot Fuzz. The best buddy cop comedies adhere to a simple formula. One guy is straight-laced, by the book, and really good at his job. The other is a loose cannon, a wild card who pushes the boundaries and gets most of the attention. Rush Hour is no exception, pairing serious Hong Kong inspector Lee with a motormouth LAPD detective named Carter. Chris Tucker fits the bill for the latter role, coming off of big performances in Friday and The Fifth Element. But for the serious partner, they cast Jackie Chan, perhaps the greatest physical comedian…

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23 Jun

Kinds of Kindness Review: Yorgos Lanthimos and Emma Stone Let Freak Flag Fly

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The most popular thing to do when watching an anthology film is finding the connective thread. Whether they’re exercises in genre cinema or quirky odes to magazine journalism, the inherent appeal of three or more stories playing to you in bite-sized format is running your fingers along a strand that can then be tied around the whole experience like a tight bow. Well dear reader, believe me there’s enough material in Yorgos Lanthimos’ Kinds of Kindness to wrap itself all the way around your neck and squeeze. Unfortunately, a case can be made that Lanthimos suffocates the potential and life…

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23 Jun

The Gene Wilder Scene in Blazing Saddles That Speaks to His Genius

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“Oh baby, you are so talented,” exclaims Bart (Cleavon Little), the wily protagonist of Blazing Saddles. The first Black sheriff in the Old West town of Rock Ridge, Bart had to escape the genteel, devout, and very racist citizens by pulling a gun on himself and pretending that he is both his own captor and hostage. The ruse works, leading to Bart’s self-praise into the camera… he also acknowledges “they are so dumb.” Bart’s broad shenanigans match not only the stupidity of the townspeople but also the tone of the Mel Brooks classic. Written by Brooks and a host of…

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23 Jun

All the Environmental Disaster Movie Warnings of the ’70s We Should Have Listened To

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The 1970s was not just a prime decade for science fiction movies but an era in which those movies carried even more urgent messages about the many problems facing humanity on Earth. Sure, the sci-fi outings of the 1950s and early ‘60s carried warnings about nuclear destruction and radiation too, while the latter half of the ‘60s began delving into sociological examinations of race, youth culture, and radical politics. But the ‘70s introduced a whole new set of crises into the genre, in tandem with the growing awareness of such issues in the real world. Climate change, unchecked population growth,…

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21 Jun

Blade Isn’t Black Panther and Shouldn’t Try to Be

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Marvel’s 2019 San Diego Comic-Con panel in Hall H had a lot of exciting announcements for the time. But the most thrilling moment occurred at the end of the presentation when MCU boss Kevin Feige brought onto the stage Academy Award winner Mahershala Ali to announce a new Blade film. The audience erupted in cheers, excited by the idea of seeing the Daywalker onscreen again. Twenty years earlier, about when the original Blade movie was released, such a response from even comic book fans would have been unthinkable. Not because superhero movies, especially those with Marvel heroes, were not popular.…

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21 Jun

Let’s Rank the Quentin Tarantino Knockoffs of the ’90s

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Quentin Tarantino‘s 1994 sophomore feature Pulp Fiction wasn’t just a major break out hit. It changed the face of cinema in the 1990s, both by helping bring attention to indie and foreign films, and by inspiring a host imitators. When audiences lined up to watch Tarantino’s bloody, whip-smart movie, studios rushed to fill theaters and video stores with more stories about loquacious hitmen, monologuing bank robbers, and foul-mouthed gun molls. In most cases, these knockoffs provided cheap thrills, heavy on the violence and pop-cultural references but low on Tarantino’s sense of composition and ear for unique dialogue. In the best…

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19 Jun

The Acolyte Just Brought a Star Wars Prequel Trilogy Character to High Republic Canon

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This Star Wars: The Acolyte article contains spoilers. The Acolyte hasn’t been shy about introducing new Jedi characters so far—and a few Sith-aligned Force users, too. While fans of the Original Trilogy are used to seeing only one or two Jedi on screen at a time, The Acolyte is set before even the Prequel Trilogy, meaning Order 66 hasn’t happened yet and there are a lot more Jedi Knights running around the galaxy and going on missions together. In fact, in episode four, Master Sol leads a whole expedition of Jedi Knights to the Outer Rim planet Khofar to seek…

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19 Jun

Spider-Man 2: We Need More Villain Scenes Like Doc Ock in That Hospital

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Twenty years ago, Spider-Man 2 boiled down the basic appeal of the Web-Head in movie form. Peter Parker is the guy for whom wearing a mask and fighting crime is a noble duty, sure, but it’s also sometimes just a job—one complete with busy work, tedium, and 99 problems that distract from the other important things in life. In Peter’s case that’s studying for midterms, hanging out with his best buddy Harry Osborn, and, dare he dream, making it to Mary Jane Watson’s play on time. In the two decades since the movie’s release, there have been plenty of other…

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18 Jun

Tom Hardy Says Mad Max: The Wasteland Isn’t Happening, and That’s a Tragedy

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In an early scene of Mad Max: Fury Road, the warrior called Furiosa (Charlize Theron in that film) stands in a shadowless patch of barren desert alongside several women who have been sheltered from the heat, if not misery, all their lives. One of them laments about a flesh wound she just suffered as they watch their last ride out of the Wasteland vanish into the horizon. “It hurts,” she whispers. “Out here everything hurts,” Furiosa responds. “Now pick up what you can and run.” Fans and admirers of George Miller’s Mad Max films can probably relate to that feeling…

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18 Jun

The Craziest Movie Stunts of the 21st Century

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Computer-generated and visual effects in movies have reached peak saturation over the past couple of decades. Seemingly every other “exterior” scene is shot against a digital background nowadays, and most action sequences look more like flashy video game cutscenes than genuine cinematic moments. Amid the deluge of CGI sadness, however, there are still filmmakers and stunt people committed to filming action in the purest way, capturing stunts in-camera, on location, and with trained professionals. As much as visual effects have advanced over the years, there’s still nothing better than the real thing, and the movies on this list prove that…

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17 Jun

Inside Out 2’s Massive Box Office Turns Pixar Corner, Reconfirms Audiences Want Sequels

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Despite the emotional turmoil of growing up, it would seem little Riley of the Inside Out flicks is living her best life. She’s certainly bringing a much needed win to Pixar Animation Studios. After what has undeniably been a rough post-COVID era for the house of Woody, Buzz, Coco, and so many other beloved animated characters, the return of Amy Poehler’s Joy had no sadness in sight when Inside Out 2 opened to $155 million this past weekend. Debuting to the second best animated opening day of all-time with $62 million—behind only another Pixar sequel, 2018’s Incredibles 2—the film went…

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17 Jun

The Biggest Sequels That Never Got Made

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Sequels are a given in Hollywood. If a movie is a massive hit—and sometimes even when it’s not—studios are eager to pounce on any opportunity to extend the brand into another film and sometimes even a whole series of them. Franchises and IP (intellectual property) are for better or worse the name of the game in Tinseltown, no matter how often critics and audiences seem to cry out for more original material at the multiplex. The other thing about sequels is that Hollywood is a strange place that can either move at lightning speed or slow down to a pace…

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15 Jun

Star Wars: Ranking the Most Powerful Jedi, Sith, and Force Users in the Galaxy

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There are many powerful Force users in the galaxy far, far away. From Jedi to Sith to Nightsisters, to everyone in between, the ability to wield the Force comes in a variety of forms and skill sets. Some channel their powers for good, some for power and control, and others forge their own unique paths entirely outside of the Jedi and the Sith. The following Force users have proved themselves to be among the most powerful of all across Star Wars films and TV shows. Here’s how we rank them… 16. Count Dooku Separatist leader and Sith Lord Count Dooku…

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14 Jun

New Lumina Teaser Features Alien Abductions Stories Like Those in the Film

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Lumina, a film that follows the surreal journey of a group of friends trying to find one of their own who disappeared suddenly during a nighttime swim, takes its inspiration from many sources. Alien abductions, Area 51, government conspiracies — it’s all a part of the story of Patricia, Delilah, and George as they help Alex search for his beloved Tatiana who disappeared into the night sky. The latest promotional clip for Lumina features the supposed “real testimonies of alien abductees” like Tatiana, who often are taken multiple times. In the film, which releases on July 12, 2024, none of…

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14 Jun

Russell Crowe Says the ‘Not-Toxic Masculinity’ of Master and Commander Made It a Classic

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Russell Crowe has had a long career with few regrets. In fact, he says there is only really one in his professional life—a musical biopic he won’t name but that he turned down and it went on to be a hit (so begin your speculation now). Mostly while speaking to British GQ for this month’s cover story, however, Crowe expressed deep satisfaction with the onscreen side of his life, and even pushed back at assertions that he’s mostly remembered now for one role as a Roman general in Gladiator. While talking at length about the many opportunities and setbacks he’s…

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14 Jun

The Best Prequels Ever Made

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“You always attack a movie scene as late as you possibly can. You always come into the scene at the last possible moment.” This bit of advice from the great screenwriter William Goldman has guided most moviemakers. The overwhelming majority of films begin with trouble already brewing and end before everything can be settled. But sometimes, a filmmaker takes the opposite approach. These visionaries begin as early as possible, even after the opening of a different movie. Thus, the prequel was born. Seriously though, most prequels come less from the minds of creatives and more from studios trying to milk…

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13 Jun

The Imaginary Trailer Teases a Stunning Animated Feature Coming to Netflix

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“You Imaginaries never learn,” sneers a character in the trailer of Netflix’s new animated movie The Imaginary. “There is one thing imagination can never defeat. And that is reality.” Snotty as he might be, the speaker has a point. 2024 has already seen the release of two movies about imaginary friends, and both of them met with a mixed response. The Blumhouse horror film Imaginary, about a pretend play pal turned evil, turned a profit but disappointed viewers. The John Krasinski movie If starring Ryan Reynolds has also made back its budget, but audiences seem largely down on it. Netflix…

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13 Jun

Quentin Tarantino Has a Point About Superman in Kill Bill Vol. 2

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Twenty years ago, Kill Bill: Vol. 2 made quite the splash when it reached theaters. Quentin Tarantino movies always do. Some folks basked in its trenchant, loquacious splendor, marveling at how the most grandiose and blood-soaked depiction of vengeance yet in a QT joint could ultimately boil down to a custody dispute between two parents sitting across a table. Others criticized its grittier, more intimate concerns as a letdown following the severed-head glory of Kill Bill: Vol 1… and, finally, there were even those who simply couldn’t get over that amusingly cynical thesis about Superman which the titular Bill drops…

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13 Jun

License to Kill Is the Gritty James Bond Movie That Changed the Series Forever

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Secret agents going rogue is such a common trope that sometimes we wish that people like Ethan Hunt or Jason Bourne would just follow their orders for change. When Daniel Craig started playing James Bond in 2006, it seemed like Bond went rogue on nearly every single mission, including most of Quantum of Solace, at least half of Skyfall, and basically, the first two-thirds of No Time To Die. Pierce Brosnan’s Bond went rogue in Die Another Day, too, with a full beard and no shirt, declaring “I’m checking out” from a hospital. And of course, Connery’s Bond was on…

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12 Jun

Inside Out 2 Review: Pixar Might Need a Hug

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Change can often be as painful as it is inevitable. This is a fact of life and a fact that haunts Inside Out 2. The long anticipated sequel arrives nearly a decade after one of Pixar’s finest and most sophisticated films, making good on what previously was left as a looming menace and dark joke for the emotions of Riley—a sensitive girl who ended the 2015 film on the precipice of adolescence and all those fearsome feelings which come with it. “Riley’s 12, what could happen?” her emotions absently muse among themselves. Yet the anxiety that so often accompanies change…

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