Palm Springs 2020
Directed by Max Barbakow. Starring Andy Samberg, Cristin Milioti, J.K. Simmons, and Peter Gallagher.
I wanted this to be weirder, darker, or funnier. It’s fine, but I wanted this to be weirder, darker, or funnier.
Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope 1977
Directed by George Lucas. Starring Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, and Alec Guinness.
First time seeing the “Special Edition” since its theatrical run in 1997. Once was enough.
The Greene Murder Case 1929
Directed by Frank Tuttle. Starring William Powell, Florence Eldridge, Ullrich Haupt, and Jean Arthur.
Disappointing follow-up to The Canary Murder Case has Powell reprising his role as diletante sleuth Philo Vance investigating a wealthy family where the last surviving heir stands to inherit a fortune. Continue reading...
Charming Sinners 1929
Directed by Robert Milton. Starring Ruth Chatterton, Clive Brook, Mary Nolan, and William Powell.
I watched a low-res encoding of a scratchy print replete with frame and audio drop-outs on a Russian social networking site. Beggars can’t be choosers.
Ruth Chatterton plays a kept wife whose husband is conducting a not-so-discreet affair with her best friend. William Powell plays her former flame returned to town. The sinners in question (Chatterton’s husband and best friend) prove far from charming, rendering the title a case of flagrant false advertising. Continue reading...
Captain America: Civil War 2016
Directed by Anthony Russo and Joe Russo. Starring Chris Evans, Robert Downey Jr., Scarlett Johansson, and Sebastian Stan.
A better version of Age of Ultron that regulates the big-bad to the background to focus on the group dynamics.
Mortal Kombat Legends: Scorpion's Revenge 2020
Directed by Ethan Spaulding. Starring Jennifer Carpenter, Joel McHale, Ike Amadi, and Steve Blum.
Animated quasi-remake of the 1995 live-action original. Lacks the franchise’s imaginative production design and quirky sense-of-humor. Makes up some ground with over-the-top graphic violence and Joel McHale.
Ant-Man 2015
Directed by Peyton Reed. Starring Paul Rudd, Michael Douglas, Corey Stoll, and Evangeline Lilly.
Breaks the Marvel formula where heroes acquire their powers at a great personal cost. As Rudd says, he’s expendable.
The Canary Murder Case 1929
Directed by Malcolm St. Clair and Frank Tuttle. Starring William Powell, Jean Arthur, James Hall, and Louise Brooks.
Powell’s second talkie and first leading role. He plays Philo Vance, a dilettante detective who uses “psychology” to solve the locked-room murder of a notorious showgirl. Continue reading...
The Black Watch 1929
Directed by John Ford. Starring Victor McLaglen, Myrna Loy, David Torrence, and David Rollins.
John Ford’s first sound picture. Victor McLaglan plays a British Army Captain who decamps for India on a secret mission to infiltrate the forces of Yasmani, a mysterious figure threatening the Crown’s interests. Myrna Loy plays Yasmani, carrying over her silent-era typecasting as an exotic vamp. Continue reading...
Avengers: Age of Ultron 2015
Directed by Joss Whedon. Starring Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, and Chris Hemsworth.
With the Infinity Saga done, it’s easier to forgive this entry for what it is: a plot-heavy middle chapter in a larger story that regulates the Ultron character to a McGuffin.
