Movies

Alita: Battle Angel Year: 2019 Rating: PG-13 Length: 122 minutes / 2.03 hours With the plethora of successes that the comic book movie has seen over the last decade, it’s a little disheartening to see the Japanese equivalent fail to make much headway. There are just as many interesting and action-packed stories from manga and […]

Bumblebee Year: 2018 Rating: PG-13 Length: 114 minutes / 1.90 hours While I’m nowhere close to being a fan of the Transformers series, I’d occasionally watch the latest installment when it came to the cheap theater in town. I stopped doing this after the third film and only saw the fourth one on Redbox. I […]

The Fate of the Furious Year: 2017 Rating: PG-13 Length: 136 minutes / 2.26 hours I’ll be honest and admit that this is the first movie in the Fast and the Furious franchise that I’ve ever seen. Sure, I’ve been aware of the franchise for years, but it never really appealed to me (I’m not […]

Artemis Fowl Year: 2001 Author: Eoin Colfer Length: 281 pages With the movie adaptation of this book coming out in a few months, I figured the premise of Artemis Fowl looked interesting enough that I’d want to read it before seeing the film. After all, a child genius going up against fantasy forces sounded like it would […]

Joaquin Phoenix is one of those actors who started acting in their childhood, and has been in plenty of movies but gained notoriety for their later work. Consequently, when people go back to watch their earlier works, they’ll exclaim, “I didn’t know _______ was in this!” One does wonder what growing up in the movie... Read more.

If there’s anything Hollywood likes to glamorize, it’s sex, drugs, and rock and roll. It’s then no wonder that at least a few musicians have had their lives immortalized in film. Something about their rise to stardom and fall from fame provides a fitting story arc that works well in the movie format. While there... Read more.

Johann Sebastian Bach has said, “It’s easy to play any musical instrument: all you have to do is touch the right key at the right time, and the instrument will play itself.” While he’s likely simplifying the complex process of playing an instrument, at the very least the piano has all the notes readily available... Read more.

Some actors naturally have a flair for the dramatic. This is often due to their work in the theatre before making the transition to movies. Sometimes, this can lead to overacting, or choosing roles that are overly dramatic. Sometimes, this allows an actor to have a wider range of roles they can play. In the... Read more.

Some directors might not be prolific, but the movies they make are profound statements about humanity that stick with us over time. One almost wonders if the jobs they had before directing helped them to see the world in a slightly more significant way. From 1969 to 1997, Alan J. Pakula only directed 16 films,... Read more.

As the national capital of the United States, it’s no wonder Washington D.C. has been the backdrop for many films. It’s obvious that political thrillers would use Washington D.C. as their setting, considering the vast amount of politics that occurs in this city. However, there are plenty of other films that have capitalized on the... Read more.

It can be tough to grow up in the shadow of your parents’ success. Furthermore, when your father is comedy director Ivan Reitman, the challenge can be even greater. While Ivan directed such classic comedies as Stripes (1981) and Ghostbusters (1984), his son, Jason Reitman, has shown that he has the skills to follow in his father’s footsteps. Perhaps... Read more.

It has been said, “Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.” For the rest of us who do have to work, our job can be a means to an end or it can be the uneven side of a work/life balance. Many people define themselves... Read more.

There are some years where the Best Picture Oscar is clearly a cut above the rest. Sure, lots of the nominees (albeit fewer than in previous years) were pretty good movies, but none were nearly as great as Green Book. Of this year’s nominees, I still need to see Roma and Vice, and I will... Read more.

We all have one life to live. What we do with that life is mostly up to us. Sure, circumstances may limit our opportunities, but how often do we celebrate those who broke through those limitations and lived a full life because of their perseverance? Even in the realm of cinema, most characters only have... Read more.