Mark McPherson's Blog, page 46
August 5, 2020
“Bacurau” Review
Brimming with a brazen Brazillian flavor, Bacurau is one of the more unexpected films of 2020. Here is a film that continues to surprise and shock in how it mixes together elements of Mad Max rebellion, small-town superstition, cutthroat political commentary, and unbound basking in ultraviolent vigor. Evoking cultural relevance and bitter rage, it’s hard to describe the film as anything short of a mash between a giddy grindhouse slasher and an unorthodox exercise in surrealism most sublime.
T...
July 23, 2020
“John Lewis: Good Trouble” Review
I’m not gonna lie. It’s exceptionally sad to look back on the documentary about John Lewis so soon after his death. No sooner had I finished the film and started thinking more about the racial divide in America’s chaotic landscape did I hear the unfortunate news of his passing. Yet it makes me appreciate this picture all the more. My initial thoughts were that the film was less explorative of John Lewis as a person, more focused on his civil rights activism which is important but still incredibl...
July 20, 2020
“The Old Guard” Review
Greg Rucka resides over the screenplay adaptation of his comic book The Old Guard which breaths with an air more akin to snugly fitting a mainstream action picture. Though its ambition perhaps aims a little bolder and its themes of persecution much louder than the flock, I can’t help but feels there far more for an epic of this scale. For an intriguing premise of immortal beings traversing centuries seeking meaning amid the chaotic landscape of man, this film merely scuffs the surface of its ful...
July 7, 2020
“Mighty Oak” Review
The bland rock drama of Mighty Oak might’ve had some kick if it could settle on its core theme. Aspects of getting the band back together are muddied when reincarnation is thrown into the mix. Bereft of either spirituality or a genuine love for music, this melodramtic mess comes off as an amateur Lifetime picture that’s in desparate need of some tuning.
The film stumbles all over itself to establish the setting. The first act of the picture takes place in the early 2000s, hammered home by the...
June 15, 2020
“Next Door Spy” Review
Despite a premise that sounds ripe with twists and turns, Next Door Spy feels very much like a quiet-time movie for the kids. As a counter to the manic and mile-a-minute animated movies, there’s a bit of a simpler splendor to the film’s indie-styling and gentle tone to its drama. While this film never really did anything for me, I hope that it can at the very least provide some temporary calm with its warmer sensibilities.
The story concerns the young girl Agatha Christine. With a name like t...
June 13, 2020
“My Spy” Review
My Spy doesn’t even try to hide the fact that its action-movie bingo. It’s a familiar assembly line of action and comedy that is sure to garner some deja vu among its audience. If only the film had the extra dose of insight to satirize its tropes rather than dance around them for a mild roast of sorts.
Dave Bautista is placed in a role that it feels all action stars must pass through before they can become an icon. They must all go through some sweetly comedic tale of being paired up with a k...
June 12, 2020
We Need To Talk About Gone With The Wind
1939’s Gone With The Wind has had a weird resurgence in 2020. It was mentioned in a rally speech by President Donald Trump where he spoke ill of the Academy Award-winning South Korean film Parasite, a movie he has most likely not seen. He went on the Boomer-pleasing route of ranting how movies used to be great, citing, of all films, Gone With The Wind, a film which has absolutely nothing to do with Parasite outside of both of them being Academy Award winners. Harping on how great the classic fil...
June 1, 2020
“The Wretched” Review
There’s a giddy sensation to encounter a horror film with such a clever twist. It is not a twist that turns the genre on its head nor is it one that is based on obvious clues that can be spotted a mile away. Though I dare not reveal its brilliance, I do so not out of it being the stellar centerpiece of the picture but for being a highlight of a rather low-key indie horror of characters in need of an extra kick of charisma.
For many years, a sleepy beachside town has been the home to a mysteri...
May 21, 2020
“The Vast of Night” Review
I have to admire the boldness of The Vast of Night casting no doubt of what it’s trying to be. It’s a Twilight Zone episode, announced with a 1950s television with the mono blaring and the black-and-white crackling. Of course, the whole film isn’t in this style as it has a bit more ambition. And while there is a Rod Serling style opening narration, I kept hoping it would close out the picture sooner than later, if only to hone the brilliance of this directorial debut by Andrew Patterson.
The ...
“Scoob!” Review
Scooby-Doo has remained a constant icon of the Hanna-Barbera cartoon stock for so long one often wonders how it continues to linger. Born from the groovy 1960s setting and still holding its dated decor, the gang of the Mystery Machine has been solving mysteries in many forms for many years. Perhaps there’s a certain timeless quality to its silly slapstick and intrigue for a mystery that has continued to make the talking dog and his quirky human friends so relevant. Scoob, however, is a CGI film ...
