REVIEW: Knives Out is delightfully convoluted! (spoilers abound) By Matthew Martin| November 28, 2019 Movie Reviews Rian Johnson offers up Knives Out, perfect for anyone who loves murder mysteries or just enjoys having a good time at the movies. Full review WITH SPOILERS here... REVIEW: Knives Out is delightfully convoluted! (spoilers abound) By Matthew Martin| November 28, 2019 Movie Reviews Rian Johnson offers up Knives Out, perfect for anyone who loves murder mysteries or just enjoys having a good time at the movies. Full review WITH SPOILERS here...
REVIEW: Frozen II is occasionally great and mostly forgettable By Matthew Martin| November 22, 2019 Movie Reviews Frozen II is not a bad movie by any means, but it does disappoint in comparison to the first. A few flashes of greatness here and there will keep you engaged, and the songs are good in the moment, but the whole experience lacks the instant-magic feel of the first. Full review here... REVIEW: Frozen II is occasionally great and mostly forgettable By Matthew Martin| November 22, 2019 Movie Reviews Frozen II is not a bad movie by any means, but it does disappoint in comparison to the first. A few flashes of greatness here and there will keep you engaged, and the songs are good in the moment, but the whole experience lacks the instant-magic feel of the first. Full review here...
REVIEW: Dr. Sleep does The Shining’s reputation proud By Matthew Martin| November 10, 2019 Movie Reviews Dr. Sleep continues the story of The Shining with a movie that is neither derivative or tired, but instead boldly expands the universe established decades earlier. Full review here... REVIEW: Dr. Sleep does The Shining’s reputation proud By Matthew Martin| November 10, 2019 Movie Reviews Dr. Sleep continues the story of The Shining with a movie that is neither derivative or tired, but instead boldly expands the universe established decades earlier. Full review here...
REVIEW: El Camino is a solid coda to the life of Jesse Pinkman By Matthew Martin| October 12, 2019 Movie Reviews El Camino returns to the crime-infested, darkly humorous, beautifully shot world of Breaking Bad. It lives up to the series' stellar reputation with a well-told story that brings closure to one of the series' most tragic characters. REVIEW: El Camino is a solid coda to the life of Jesse Pinkman By Matthew Martin| October 12, 2019 Movie Reviews El Camino returns to the crime-infested, darkly humorous, beautifully shot world of Breaking Bad. It lives up to the series' stellar reputation with a well-told story that brings closure to one of the series' most tragic characters.
REVIEW: Joker is dark, disturbing, and…directionless? By Matthew Martin| October 5, 2019 Movie Reviews There are lots of movies that don't want you to like them; movies that you're supposed to walk away shaking your head at. Joker is a hard movie to enjoy, despite so much of it being praise-worthy, but the director seems to think I should enjoy it, all the same... REVIEW: Joker is dark, disturbing, and…directionless? By Matthew Martin| October 5, 2019 Movie Reviews There are lots of movies that don't want you to like them; movies that you're supposed to walk away shaking your head at. Joker is a hard movie to enjoy, despite so much of it being praise-worthy, but the director seems to think I should enjoy it, all the same...
REVIEW: AD ASTRA is a visual and storytelling masterpiece By Matthew Martin| September 20, 2019 Movie Reviews People going into Ad Astra expecting a "big dumb action movie in space" are going to be disappointed. People going in expecting a contemplative, meditative, beautiful, character-driven film set in space will be very happy indeed. REVIEW: AD ASTRA is a visual and storytelling masterpiece By Matthew Martin| September 20, 2019 Movie Reviews People going into Ad Astra expecting a "big dumb action movie in space" are going to be disappointed. People going in expecting a contemplative, meditative, beautiful, character-driven film set in space will be very happy indeed.
REVIEW: IT Chapter 2 fails to match the greatness of the first By Matthew Martin| September 6, 2019 Movie Reviews Two years ago, IT blew away expectations and made a staggering $700mm in cinemas. The movie only told half of Stephen King's humongous story, and this weekend, IT Chapter Two premieres, and this time it does so amidst high expectations. Does the movie live up to them? Read on... REVIEW: IT Chapter 2 fails to match the greatness of the first By Matthew Martin| September 6, 2019 Movie Reviews Two years ago, IT blew away expectations and made a staggering $700mm in cinemas. The movie only told half of Stephen King's humongous story, and this weekend, IT Chapter Two premieres, and this time it does so amidst high expectations. Does the movie live up to them? Read on...
REVIEW: Ready or Not is “dark comedy” done right By Matthew Martin| August 24, 2019 Movie Reviews The premise is simple to explain: "You have to play hide and seek but if they find you they kill you." That's it. It shouldn't have resulted in a movie as great as this was, but it did... REVIEW: Ready or Not is “dark comedy” done right By Matthew Martin| August 24, 2019 Movie Reviews The premise is simple to explain: "You have to play hide and seek but if they find you they kill you." That's it. It shouldn't have resulted in a movie as great as this was, but it did...
REVIEW: Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark is “Teenager Goosebumps” By Matthew Martin| August 15, 2019 Movie Reviews Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark isn't going to revolutionize horror, but it can, despite a weak overall story, sufficiently inject some nightmare fuel into the minds of its target audience, ages 11-16. Full review here... REVIEW: Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark is “Teenager Goosebumps” By Matthew Martin| August 15, 2019 Movie Reviews Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark isn't going to revolutionize horror, but it can, despite a weak overall story, sufficiently inject some nightmare fuel into the minds of its target audience, ages 11-16. Full review here...
The Lion King (2019) is a hot mess. By Matthew Martin| July 19, 2019 Movie Reviews The Lion King is going to make two billion dollars. It's going to dominate the cinema for the next two months. Simply put, no one is going to care just how big of a misfire the movie actually is... The Lion King (2019) is a hot mess. By Matthew Martin| July 19, 2019 Movie Reviews The Lion King is going to make two billion dollars. It's going to dominate the cinema for the next two months. Simply put, no one is going to care just how big of a misfire the movie actually is...
REVIEW: Midsommar is not Hereditary By Matthew Martin| July 4, 2019 Movie Reviews Midsommar takes far too long to tell a story that wasn't very interesting in the first place. Full review inside... REVIEW: Midsommar is not Hereditary By Matthew Martin| July 4, 2019 Movie Reviews Midsommar takes far too long to tell a story that wasn't very interesting in the first place. Full review inside...
REVIEW: Spider-Man: Far From Home is the best two Spider-Man movies ever By Matthew Martin| July 3, 2019 Movie Reviews Spider-Man: Far From Home is the best solo outing in the webslinger's seven film repository. It's a fast-paced, densely-packed blockbuster that doesn't forget there's a sixteen year old kid in the middle of it all. Full review inside... REVIEW: Spider-Man: Far From Home is the best two Spider-Man movies ever By Matthew Martin| July 3, 2019 Movie Reviews Spider-Man: Far From Home is the best solo outing in the webslinger's seven film repository. It's a fast-paced, densely-packed blockbuster that doesn't forget there's a sixteen year old kid in the middle of it all. Full review inside...
REVIEW: Annabelle Comes Home does things (only) by the book By Matthew Martin| June 26, 2019 Movie Reviews Ultimately, Annabelle Comes Home checks every box but it doesn't do much more than that. Long-time followers of the series are likely to walk away saying "Yep, that was a Conjuring movie" but that's about it. It "is" but it also "isn't much." Full review... REVIEW: Annabelle Comes Home does things (only) by the book By Matthew Martin| June 26, 2019 Movie Reviews Ultimately, Annabelle Comes Home checks every box but it doesn't do much more than that. Long-time followers of the series are likely to walk away saying "Yep, that was a Conjuring movie" but that's about it. It "is" but it also "isn't much." Full review...
REVIEW: Toy Story 4 is magical enough to justify its existence By Matthew Martin| June 22, 2019 Movie Reviews Toy Story 4 arrives amidst trepidation from its fans; can the movie live up to the heights of the first three or does it stumble and sour a series of movies considered by many to be flawless? Full review inside... REVIEW: Toy Story 4 is magical enough to justify its existence By Matthew Martin| June 22, 2019 Movie Reviews Toy Story 4 arrives amidst trepidation from its fans; can the movie live up to the heights of the first three or does it stumble and sour a series of movies considered by many to be flawless? Full review inside...
MCU Phase Four WILD SPECULATION! By Matthew Martin| June 20, 2019 Movie Reviews The most profitable franchise in cinema history is about to enter a new phase of films. The future of the MCU has never been more unknown...so let's speculate wildly! MCU Phase Four WILD SPECULATION! By Matthew Martin| June 20, 2019 Movie Reviews The most profitable franchise in cinema history is about to enter a new phase of films. The future of the MCU has never been more unknown...so let's speculate wildly!
DARK PHOENIX ends the FoX-Men franchise, and that’s about it By Matthew Martin| June 8, 2019 Movie Reviews Here lies the Fox X-Men movie series. The franchise gifted us a few genuine greats, and also forced upon us more than a couple duds. Dark Phoenix is a dud. Here's why... DARK PHOENIX ends the FoX-Men franchise, and that’s about it By Matthew Martin| June 8, 2019 Movie Reviews Here lies the Fox X-Men movie series. The franchise gifted us a few genuine greats, and also forced upon us more than a couple duds. Dark Phoenix is a dud. Here's why...
REVIEW: Aladdin is…basically Aladdin By Matthew Martin| May 25, 2019 Movie Reviews What do you want me to say? You've seen the trailer. The movie IS the animated original, redone in live-action. Did you love Aladdin? You'll like Aladdin. REVIEW: Aladdin is…basically Aladdin By Matthew Martin| May 25, 2019 Movie Reviews What do you want me to say? You've seen the trailer. The movie IS the animated original, redone in live-action. Did you love Aladdin? You'll like Aladdin.
REVIEW: Grading Detective Pikachu on three levels… By Matthew Martin| May 11, 2019 Movie Reviews We've come a long way from the bad video game movies of the 1990's. Matthew looks at Detective Pikachu and considers how the movie works as a film, as a video game adaptation, and as the potential for something....bigger. Full review inside... REVIEW: Grading Detective Pikachu on three levels… By Matthew Martin| May 11, 2019 Movie Reviews We've come a long way from the bad video game movies of the 1990's. Matthew looks at Detective Pikachu and considers how the movie works as a film, as a video game adaptation, and as the potential for something....bigger. Full review inside...
REVIEW: Avengers Endgame – Spoiler-filled observations By Matthew Martin| April 27, 2019 Movie Reviews There aren't adequate words to describe what a visceral and emotional and thoroughly satisfying movie this is. REVIEW: Avengers Endgame – Spoiler-filled observations By Matthew Martin| April 27, 2019 Movie Reviews There aren't adequate words to describe what a visceral and emotional and thoroughly satisfying movie this is.
REVIEW: SHAZAM!’s infectous joy overrides its flaws By Matthew Martin| April 7, 2019 Movie Reviews Shazam! works because it has too much fun not to. It's infectiously happy and determined to charm you. While not perfect, you'll enjoy yourself too much to let its flaws bring you down. Full review here... REVIEW: SHAZAM!’s infectous joy overrides its flaws By Matthew Martin| April 7, 2019 Movie Reviews Shazam! works because it has too much fun not to. It's infectiously happy and determined to charm you. While not perfect, you'll enjoy yourself too much to let its flaws bring you down. Full review here...
