Mark McPherson's Blog, page 54

“The Kid Who Would Be King” Review

As a fantasy that manages to be blunt with its message and light with its adventure, The Kid Who Would Be King fits snugly into the familiar armor of a plucky kid-oriented adventure just for young fantasy seekers. There are no in-jokes for the adults nor a surprise for the direction this story is going with its magical tale of swords, knights, magic, and demons. It’s perfectly suited to be a kids-only affair, where the wee ones get a chance to skip class and save the world while wielding a...

“Glass” Review

There’s a lot of potential in a film like Glass to be the M. Night Shyamalan’s best film as a crossover of Unbreakable of Split. Assembled are three top notch actors handed meaty roles of super-powered people with conflicting views of the world. All the ingredients are there for a brilliantly terrifying and insightful film of superheroes and supervillains but all Shyamalan seems to do with the material is throw it in a comic book pressure cooker set to the mildest of settings that even his...

“The Upside” Review

I partially knew what I was in for with a film like The Upside. Prepared for the most milquetoast of melodrama, I grabbed a coffee and sat back hoping to be won over by the chemistry of Kevin Hart and Bryan Cranston. The coffee was a mistake as I found myself so baffled by the poor filmmaking layered on top of banal laughs and hokey drama that I wondered why the rest of the audiences seemed to be rolling with laughter. I wish I had whatever they were drinking.

Based on a true story, Cranst...

“Stan & Ollie” Review

Both Steve Coogan and John C. Reilly certainly have the look of the iconic comedic duo Laurel and Hardy down pat. Stan & Ollie is a film that doesn’t waste that look, taking care to make something worthy of their makeup but not merely turn in a somber tale of how the two faded from the silent vaudeville days into the frustrating 1950s. It’s a love letter to the pair which takes a fonder approach to their twilight years and gives them a gracious send-off rather than a golden glory day retro...

Top 10 Best Films of 2018

2018 was a fast and exhilarating year for film. Marvel Studios celebrated its 10th year anniversary of superhero films, setting new box office records for the trailblazing films of Black Panther and Avengers: Infinity War. Horror was given a massive shot in the arm with such brilliant doses of the terrifying (Hereditary), the surreal (Suspiria), and a good old-fashioned slasher throwback (Halloween). Even animated films have been rather stellar with many different mediums and genres. Now come...

“Aquaman” Review

I dread making this statement but I feel as though I must; I dug Aquaman before he was cool. At least the cool that I’m sure many are experiencing with James Wan’s Aquaman movie, championing the media stigma of his past appearance on Super Friends making him look like a dope. Consider how the oceans are vast and not entirely explored a realm, teaming with untold discoveries. Also consider how Aquaman wields over this domain with his best girl Mera, able to control water to such a degree sh...

“Bumblebee” Review

Bumblebee has a very, very low bar too cross to be competent. Michael Bay has developed the Transformers franchise into an incoherent mess of subplots, cynicism, clunky robots, and product placement that another director would have to actively be trying to make a more terrible film than his many entries. While I’d applaud director Travis Knight for taking a machete to the Transformers insanity and bringing in some much-needed heart, I wish I could applaud him for more than that, merely tur...

“Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” Review

If you’re still wondering why superhero movies are still prevalent and prospering in the face of saturation, it’s because many of the Marvel productions are experimenting and venturing down paths less explored for superhero cinema. In a year where Marvel has already shattered expectations with tales of politics (Black Panther) and pathos (Avengers: Infinity War), Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse is very much the most daring in scope, visuals, characters, and storytelling. All of this not...

“Creed II” Review

Creed II has everything I did and didn’t want in a sequel to the Rocky spin-off. While it does present Adonis Creed with another tough boxing challenge and ties directly into his lineage for being the son of Apollo, it also slips too comfortably into the old Rocky movies. The punches are heavier, the stakes are higher, and character drama is amplified to the point of being a melodrama. And while it certainly gets the job done as a blood-pumping pleaser, it does show a bit of wear and tear...

“Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald” Review

Prequels are tough to get into when you’re aware of everything that will happen to certain characters. The Crimes of Grindelwald seems to be trying to overwhelm the audience with too much lore and characters, as though it were conjuring a distraction from the rather dreary and feckless fantasy. Perhaps you’ll find yourself so busy trying to piece together all the character histories you won’t notice how muddled its storytelling is. No? What if the movie threw giant cats at the screen?

The...