Let’s also say that what this movie reminded me of was a blended mix of both seasons of True Detective to which is a affixed a fragile but showy veneer of bitter middle-class angst and marital subterfuge, plus a lot of dark humor.
All in Popcorn
Christopher McQuarrie's MISSION IMPOSSIBLE: ROGUE NATION
This is a great summer movie and I think this matches and in some ways exceeds the recent Bond films. But let’s not get too serious here. This is a popcorn film of the highest order. We have learned to expect no less from that crazy guy Cruise.
This is not just one more big city with skyscrapers being torn apart by Marvel or Transformer characters fighting. This is a human scale small town surrounded by cornfields getting smashed by Mother Nature in scenes that are becoming depressingly more common as our climate continues to change for the worse.
Stuart Beattie’s I, FRANKENSTEIN
If you want to put your mind in “park” for 90 minutes this is the film for you!
David Twohy's PITCH BLACK
I recently re-watched this scifi-horror film from 2000 and boy was I impressed.
Hark Tsui's “FLYING SWORDS OF DRAGON GATE”
Hark Tsui’s FLYING SWORDS OF DRAGON GATE at times reminded me of a Saturday morning cartoon. It’s almost Tom-and-Jerry-like in its portrayal of action and violence. Yet it’s immensely entertaining if only for its exotic locations, diverse costumes, visual splendor, and fascinating facial tattoos.
Guillermo del Toro's PACIFIC RIM
A few times I closed my eyes while watching Pacific Rim and — I swear — I was a little boy again watching humans and their technology duke it out on the big screen with aliens.
Joseph Kosinski's “OBLIVION”
Great popcorn movie. Really enjoyed it. Terrific visuals, interesting variations on familiar themes.
Paul W.S. Anderson's RESIDENT EVIL: RETRIBUTION
I really enjoyed the previous Resident Evil movie so I looked forward to this one. I decided to see it in the theater and spent the extra $4 for a 3D ticket. Was it worth it?
Len Wiseman's TOTAL RECALL
The new TOTAL RECALL is a fun movie. It’s nowhere near as gratuitously gory and twisted as Paul Verhoeven’s great Arnold Schwartzenneger version, but it makes up for that with performances, visuals, and pacing that match and in some cases surpass the original.
Joss Whedon's THE AVENGERS
THE AVENGERS is an OK piece of entertainment, I guess. Several times during the first hour I started to doze off.
Brad Bird's MISSION IMPOSSIBLE: GHOST PROTOCOL
What a big, fun, goofy, and exciting film this is!
Scott Charles Stewart's PRIEST
How can you possibly resist a gritty and bloody post-apocalyptic alternate-history vampire movie starring Paul Bettany, Christopher Plummer, Karl Urban, and Brad (“Wormtongue”) Dourif?
Louis Leterrier's CLASH OF THE TITANS
I enjoyed this movie a lot but it could have been much better had more attention been devoted to character and story.
Henry Levin's JOURNEY TO THE CENTER OF THE EARTH
This thoroughly enjoyable 1959 classic is a childhood favorite. Viewed again recently I was pleasantly surprised to see how enjoyable it remains.
Je-gyun Yun's TIDAL WAVE (HAEUNDAE)
As disaster movies go this one is pretty good. We get to know an odd group of people and wonder, of course, which will survive When The Big One Hits.
Pierre Morel's TAKEN
This movie is silly, prepostrous, nonsensical, and the plot has more holes than the strainer I use Sunday mornings to defrost frozen blueberries when I bake muffins.
I loved it.
The “invisible aliens among us” story has been done many times before. This one focuses less on wild histrionics than continually escalating terror.
Timur Bekmambetov's WANTED
Talk about no redeeming social value! But it’s great fun.
This is a good, but not great, popcorn movie.