Mark McPherson's Blog, page 52
April 17, 2019
“Missing Link” Review
The Laika animation studio continues to churn out some of the most original and boundary-pushing of stop-motion animation. Their previous works include the culturally creative Kubo and the Two Strings and the exciting horror ParaNorman. While Missing Link isn’t quite the same level of a masterpiece, it does go to show how the studio can take something as familiar as a human/monster buddy comedy and weave something genuine, hilarious, and heartfelt with amazing visuals.
The film follows Sir...
April 11, 2019
“Hellboy” (2019) Review
Watching this new take on the hell-born hero of the comics is akin to witnessing someone try to shove 300 pounds of laundry into one suitcase. You know it won’t fit and it’s just going to be an embarrassing sight but you can’t help but watch the results. And it’s this overstuffing and baffling assembly that makes Hellboy’s ludicrous, emotionless, and thud of a fantasy such a treat to watch as one of the most uproarious trainwrecks of 2019.
Let’s address the elephant in the room right away....
April 7, 2019
“Pet Sematary” (2019) Review
I’m struggling to not view Pet Sematary through a certain lens that treats the reality of loss and grief with a darker bent. Maybe I just feel that the desire to raise the dead when you’re not willing to say goodbye should carry a longer sense of longing before resorting to dark magic to bring back loved ones. The latest iteration of Pet Sematary doesn’t have time to cover all those stages of grief, favoring instead to sprint over those hurdles to quickly quick down that pesky Acceptance s...
March 27, 2019
“SHAZAM!” Review
As the DC Comics cinematic universe tries to find its firmer footing, SHAZAM stands tall and proud as a classical superhero outing. Not only does it do right by the titular hero and his quirky world of magic and adventure but it also a knowing smirk for the rest of the DC universe, cunning and clever enough to know how and where to poke fun and throw shade at its competition. This brings out a brilliant mixture of the classic Richard Donner style of superheroism as well as an awareness of...
March 26, 2019
“Dumbo” (2019) Review
Easily one of the most powerful scenes from 1941’s Dumbo is the scene where the big-eared, titular elephant longs for his mother’s touch. Locked behind bars, Dumbo’s mom can still reach her son by extending her trunk out of the window and gently cradle her child. The sweet melody of “Baby Mine” plays as Dumbo cries massive tears while being held. It’s a sweetly sad moment in Disney animation history. Now Disney attempts to replicate that same story and scene in their live-action adaptation...
March 21, 2019
“Us” Review
Jordan Peele’s Us serves as another example of how firm a grip the director has on horror. He knows how to tinker with this genre to such a degree that he can craft a picture capable of being a fast-paced slasher, a twisted trip through the surreal, and a layered societal commentary. And it’s such a brilliantly beautiful nightmare that it always holds the eyes, begging to be deciphered for the messages it subtly serves so well.
Lupita Nyong’o stars as Adelaide, a woman with a very disturbi...
March 14, 2019
“Five Feet Apart” Review
Five Feet Apart is yet another entry into the subgenre of dying teen drama. You know the type; one or more teenagers have a horrible condition or disease that causes great tragedy in finding romance when life seems so short. The film follows a familiar pattern to be sure but the good news is that this tragic romance takes the less myopic route that feels a tad more genuine in its hospital setting, working fairly hard to be a tearjerker.
The two teens in love both have cystic fibrosis, whic...
March 12, 2019
“G-Saviour” Review
By the time the Gundam franchise had reached its 20th anniversary, Sunrise decided they wanted to do something extra special. Sure, developing an entirely new Gundam TV series (Turn-A Gundam) may have been enough but they wanted to go the extra mile by producing a live-action Gundam TV movie. But rather than being produced in Japan, Sunrise decided to entrust this special to an independent Canadian film studio, Polestar Entertainment. The results, while not worthy of being the centerpiece...
March 8, 2019
“To Sleep With Anger” Review
Danny Glover has an amazing ability to seem both innocent and chaotic at the same time. In To Sleep With Anger, he plays Harry, the latest visitor to a crowded household. We don’t know Harry as well as the other adults who seem to remember his sordid history in one way or another, viewing him either as a party or a manipulator of morality. And so we see him through the eyes of the children who view him more as a stranger of great intrigue, unsure of his true nature past that simple smile.
...March 5, 2019
“Captain Marvel” Review
Captain Marvel joins a long line of Marvel Comics heroes with their own solo movies. But her origins are more unique. It’s not just because her story weaves into the greater expanse of the intergalactic Marvel movie landscape. It’s not just because her origins are established in the setting of the 1990s with numerous references and gags of the era. It’s not even due to the unique spy angle. What ultimately makes Captain Marvel a distinct hero, past all the superpowers of blaster hands and...
