Mark McPherson's Blog, page 25

“The Truth vs. Alex Jones” Review

Alex Jones has made a living online as a provocateur. His empire of deception runs as deep and lucrative as that of the most corrupt TV ministers. He prays on the gullible with his loud rants about how he tells the truth that mainstream media won’t talk about. It doesn’t matter if he’s telling the truth. He is telling an audience exactly what they’ll want to hear and playing that edgy card hard enough to convince viewers to purchase his snake oil. To those not fooled by his supplements, Jones i...

“Problemista” Review

There’s a love for the weird within the surreal charm of Problemista. It recognizes the issues of the world and the sources of our anxiety but tries to place it in an understandable state coated with coaxing whimsy. Here is a film about the problems of immigration, isolation, money, and the struggle to prove yourself. Through it all, creativity saves the souls of the unfortunate and draws the more genuine people together.

There’s an enthusiastic drive to the dreams of the quietly quirky Alej...

“Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire” Review

There’s a very telling moment in Frozen Empire when the aged Ghostbusters Ray and Winston debate over their golden years. Ray insists that this familiar adventure of paranormal investigation is exactly how he wants to spend these years. Winston agrees slightly but stresses that he needs to be more cautious and keep the kids in mind. That is exactly what Frozen Empire is: A safe, familiar, and generic retread of Ghostbusters manufactured to be exciting enough for kids and nostalgic enough for ad...

“Love Lies Bleeding” Review

Calling Love Lies Bleeding a surreal erotic thriller would be an understatement. It’s not just horny, but hardcore horny as it charges forward into the most daring of territories. There is a level of pulp that is so powerful in this picture, and it has many surprises ranging from kinky to chaotic. There’s such a thrill when watching a film with the guts to say, “Yeah, we’re doing this,” with its boundless arousal of the senses.

is fully in her element as the gym runner Lou in...

“Kung Fu Panda 4” Review

Thus far, DreamWorks’s Kung Fu Panda films have been its most consistent animated saga. The immaculate fusion of classic Hong Kong choreography, stylish Chinese-inspired design, and clever slapstick have a distinct charm. It’s enough to make even the expected routine of this fourth entry a pleasing return to the ongoing story. Even after 16 years of this pudgy anthropomorphic panda bouncing around the screen, it still makes me smile, even if not all of the same magic is there.

The heroic Po ...

“Dune: Part 2” Review

The thought had crossed my mind to reread Dune before venturing into Part 2. Before the first film debuted in 2021, I flipped open my copy, fired up an audiobook, and skimmed some clips from the David Lynch 1984 film adaptation. But before deciding to refresh on Frank Herbert’s classic tale, I recalled a major criticism of the 1984 film, that fantasy films like this should be an escape and not homework. Denis Villeneuve directed the first part of Dune as if it were an escape, where another worl...

“Madame Web” Review

Much like Sony’s Morbius, Madame Web exists as a Marvel Comics film that only feels half there. It has the premise for something akin to Happy Death Day with its time-loop superpowers but instead favors a bland superhero plot of costumed heroes and villains. It has the potential to play with its material to make something more unique outside the Marvel Cinematic Universe but feels as wooden and disinterested in the material as though it were stuck in the MCU. At least this cinematic universe ha...

“Lisa Frankenstein” Review

A lot of wild stuff happens in Lisa Frankenstein more for the sake of being bizarre than building up its darkly comedic narrative. This will be a hindrance for some, but a freewheeling retro horror comedy like this can only work if it embraces its own weirdness with earnestness and heart. This film feels like that cult 1980s horror that was too strange upon its release and will be revered better in time. It’s a safe bet, considering the same thing happened with other script, Jenni...

“Argylle” Review

There’s a moment in this spy comedy take on Romancing The Stone where the central author struggles to write dialogue for her character. She must find a solid, romantic punchline for a sexual moment but can’t muster a decent line for her spy character. She admits she has nothing, and the words fade away. Yet even in this moment of jumping between the author’s reality and fantasy, there’s not even a decent punchline for this familiar bit about writer’s block.

Argylle is a film that feels like ...

“Origin” (2023) Review

There’s an ambition within Origin that is admirable and keeps this film grounded in its goals. Fluctuating between a true-story drama and historical exploration, the desire for answers and to make sense of this world’s wrongs is something that becomes incredibly relatable. As much as a movie like this meanders around so many angles of race and caste, it maintains an emotional core of finding what matters most.

Based on the non-fiction book Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents, the film cent...