Mark McPherson's Blog, page 38

The 10 Best Movies of 2021

2021 was the first mostly full year of movies returning to theaters since 2019. This meant there was a huge load of blockbusters shoved out at the same time, particularly in October. Some films shifted dates, others went to streaming, and some went to both theaters and streaming at the same time. Now that the year is over, it’s once more time for the obligatory top 10 movies of the year. So here we go.

10. Titane

Director Julia Ducournau delivered fascinating body horror in 2016’s Raw...

“The Tragedy of Macbeth” Review

Joel Coen’s take on Shakespeare appears simultaneously as the grandest and minimalist of adaptations to date. It boasts a fantastic ensemble cast who all deliver the old text with great vigor. It’s staged in a prestige glaze of black and white with a 4:3 aspect ratio. It features simplistic sets that are barely visible as the haze and fog drown out the background. In a movie landscape with so many overblown spectacles, there’s something rather unique about seeing a film very simplistic in its v...

“Sing 2” Review

The mantra of the first Sing movie was that when you’re at your lowest, there’s nowhere to go but up. That holds true for Sing 2 considering how much of it is a step up from the tedium of the first jukebox musical. If only it could go higher.

I did appreciate the more compelling arching plot. Buster Moon () has saved his theater but now wants to taking his singing and dancing troupe to the big leagues. Hoping to make it this world’s version of Las Vegas, he takes his crew ...

“The Matrix Resurrections” Review

Lana Wachowski’s return to the Matrix is a refreshing deconstruction. Whereas other long-awaited retreads seem to merely coast on nostalgic twinges and marketable reiterating, here’s a film that dares to question its own influence and the purpose of its return. There’s more than a nostalgia present. In fact, nostalgia is directly criticized and attacked, which is perhaps the most Matrix thing that The Matrix Resurrections does so well.

Such a film would have to be postmodern in itself. Consi...

“Hell Hath No Fury” Review

Hell Hath No Fury is that brutal tale of betrayal and death you could easily see being an entry in Tales From The Crypt or The Twilight Zone. Set during World War II, it’s a vicious mix of brutal war-time violence amid elements of treasure hunting, erotic thriller intrigue, and ghastly elements of being haunted in more ways than one. The result is a bloody, pulpy, and gritty thriller that rarely bores in its bold punches.

It helps that the film has a badass hero played by . She p...

“The King’s Man” Review

What a wild turnaround for a film series that felt as though it piqued with robot dogs, Elton John, and the most uncomfortable sex scene in a spy movie ever. The King’s Man fittingly has a different name because it feels like an incredibly different film from the other Kingsman movies. Here is a film that has all the classic hallmarks of an exciting spy picture with enough knowing camp to still be as fun as it is brutal.

gives some gravitas to the picture by playing the role of...

“Spider-Man: No Way Home” Review

No Way Home has a little bit of everything for a Spider-Man movie. It takes Peter Parker in a unique direction, having had his identity revealed in the previous film. It finds more seriousness and pathos that are perfectly suited for the plucky superhero. It also manages to play around with much of the Marvel lore and Spider-Man mythos. For being branded as a return of old faces, such a picture could’ve easily turned into little more than a reunion special. Thankfully, that is not the case as P...

The Decay of Animated Apathy

Undeniably one of the most popular adult animated programs of the last decade is Rick & Morty. No other animated series has characters who appear in Super Bowl Ads. No other animated show has events and products built around them to promote Wendy’s. No other show has its fans throw temper tantrums at McDonald’s for a discontinued condiment from 1998. So there’s definitely something to this show.

Rick & Morty follows the misadventures of scientist Rick Sanchez and his grandson Morty. They tra...

Box Office Doesn’t Matter

How does one judge a movie’s success? Everybody has their own metric for whether or not a film resonates with them. Maybe it features the most robust of editing, the tightest of scripts, or the strongest performances. In terms of trade publications and studios, their primary metrics for success have been theatrical box office earnings. These earnings are the ticket sales a film receives from theaters, determining how much revenue a film has produced.

The publication Variety began publishing ...

“West Side Story” (2021) Review

Steven Spielberg is one of those directors where it feels as though he could tackle any genre. Even in his old age, he’s still trying new stuff. In 2011, he directed his first animated film with The Adventures of Tintin. It ended up being one of the best-animated films of that year and is perhaps the best motion-captured animated film ever made. So when he previously mentioned that he’d like to try his hand at a musical, there’s little doubt he couldn’t pull it off. Indeed, his version of West ...