The sequel to 2015's Kingsman: The Secret Service is hardly more than a ritualistic exercise in the law of diminishing returns. Matthew Vaughn returns to direct, delivering a second entry guilty of nearly every violation for which subpar sequels are known. Formula is favored over invention, gags are recycled, and characterization is ignored. With a star-studded... Continue Reading →
The second sequel to 2014’s inventive and exhilarating The Lego Movie offers much of the same colorful exuberance of its predecessors, though it’s clear that much of the novelty that made the original such a surprise is beginning to stretch itself thin. If you’re game for some dazzling animation and a chuckle here and there,... Continue Reading →
Given what’s been dominating headlines these days – terrorist attacks, immigration, chaos in the Middle East, and the threat of nuclear war – there is no better timing for a film that draws on male aggression and anger to deliver a patriotic action flick that simultaneously provides pertinent social commentary. Unfortunately, if you thought that’s... Continue Reading →
Throughout the history of film, there have been all sorts of directors, each with their own sets of goals. Some are in it for the money; like effective managers, they run tight ships, and routinely bolster ticket sales. Some are in it for the art; they slave over the minutest of details, and are routinely... Continue Reading →
Ready or not, here It comes. After weeks of industry analysts lamenting meager ticket sales, September has served up a bigger box office behemoth than most of this year’s summer films. It achieved over 50 million on Friday alone, and scared up a final weekend gross of an astonishing 123 million. Among the many records,... Continue Reading →
“I get so mad, I want to fight the whole world,” bemoans Chip, a drug-addicted young Indian man, handcuffed in the back of a police car. “You got any idea what that feels like?" "I do,” answers Cory, a Wildlife Service agent, still grieving the loss of his daughter three years prior. “I decided to... Continue Reading →
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