7 Best Movies To Watch After The Illusionist (2006)
Madame Web
The latest chapter in Sony's Spider-Man Universe makes Morbius look like a masterpiece. In an age where the Marvel Cinematic Universe has categorically lost its luster, it's tempting to imagine how green the grass is on the other side of the hill. To imagine that someone, somewhere, is doing inventive work with some of America's most pervasive modern myths -- without the heaving strain of an interconnected narrative, a cast of over-it actors, or visual effects teams stretched beyond their breaking point. You won't find it, however, in the strangely-dubbed "Sony's Spider-Man Universe" -- that casually connected series of antihero films (the Venoms, Morbius) that attempts to cobble together its own Sinister Six from the contractual scraps Disney left Sony after its acquisition of Marvel Studios. And Madame Web, the latest grasp at superhero relevancy in a dying comic book movie landscape, is easily its messiest, most forgettable shrug in that direction. It's astonishing to think that Sony could put out a worse product than 2022's Morbius -- a misfire of a mad-scientist picture that at least contained a few interesting images and the perverse sight of Matt Smith gnashing his pointy vampire teeth through a chopped-up villain performance -- but boy, Madame Web manages it. It's a passive whisper of a film, one that barely registers its own existence. The only reason someone would even deign to make it is because they're contractually obligated to maintain a specific character's intellectual property, not to mention a heaping stake of product placement from Pepsi. Continue Reading →
Rebecca
“Last night I dreamed I went to Manderley again…” So begins Daphne du Maurier’s gothic masterwork Rebecca, one of the most famous opening lines in fiction. Rebecca proved a hit upon release in 1938 and has remained in print ever since. Alfred Hitchcock’s adaptation, coming just two years later, netted him his first Best Director nomination. That interpretation of the text has come to be considered a classic, and with good reason. Its misty black-and-white photography and mysteries hypnotize. Continue Reading →
Shazam! Fury of the Gods
If only there were a word I could scream that would turn me into a superhero. I wouldn’t fight crime or fly in the heavens above. Instead, I would run really fast until time went backward. Then I would sprint into the DC Film offices circa 2020 and yell, “Please do not make Shazam! Fury of the Gods. Nobody needs this!” Alas, I have no such power. So, here we are. Continue Reading →
Mack & Rita
Many of us have been called “old souls.” We are the people who feel out of step with our times. Director Katie Aselton’s Mack & Rita is a charming new comedy for us old gals that provides a refreshing update to the magical comedies of yesteryear. Continue Reading →
Fate/stay night UNLIMITED BLADE WORKS
(This review is part of our coverage of the 2022 South by Southwest Festival) Continue Reading →
劇場版 七つの大罪 光に呪われし者たち
Sean Ellis' werewolf period piece is a humorless medley of conflicting approaches that somehow ends up dull. (This review originally ran as part of our coverage of the 2021 Sundance Film Festival, under the film's original title "Eight for Silver." We're re-releasing it to coincide with its new title and wider release date.) It’s a well-known shorthand to criticize a movie by saying that it “should have been a short film.” Depending on whom you ask, it might even be a cliché. How’s this as a change of pace? Sean Ellis’ The Cursed shouldn’t have been a short film as much as it should have been a short story. If it were on the page, its medley of approaches probably would have worked in its favor instead of against it. It would have left more to the imagination instead of what we get here. Most importantly, its inability to choose a cohesive method to suspense wouldn’t have been so glaring. For those looking for a slow burn, this werewolf tale is too reliant on cheap jump scares. For those in the mood for gore and a good time, it’s far too slow—stagnant, even. Add in its lack of self-awareness for what’s an inherently silly script and you get something that’s just dull. Continue Reading →