A disaster movie channeling the apocalyptic vibes of a zombie movie, where the greatest threat is not in fact the people-eating monsters but the desperation of your fellow man, Greenland is a surprisingly thrilling blockbuster about the world coming to an end. Shelved in June due to boarded-up theaters and that whole virus on the loose and finally released to at-home video-on-demand, the Ric Roman Waugh-directed Greenland re-teams the Angel Has Fallen franchise writer-director and frequent collaborator Gerald Butler to rousing effect. Read More
Sporadically Gruesome ‘BRIGHTBURN’ Could Burn More Brightly
Man of Steel meets We Need to Talk About Kevin in Brightburn, the James Gunn-produced “What if Superman bad?” movie that’s had folks buzzing since its mysterious announcement last year. Gunn, who cut his teeth in the Troma movie scene – a disruptive production company infamous for splatter and farce-fueled horror movies like Poultrygeist: Night of the Chicken Dead and The Toxic Avenger – before becoming a big shot with The Guardians of the Galaxy series, has his gore-tastic fingerprints scattered throughout Brightburn, though the superhero script-flipper’s signature touch is decisively missing, Brightburn lacking the mark of a seasoned filmmaker with keen editorial prowess, a knack for subjective horror, and Gunn’s dark, cruel wit. Read More
Out in Theaters: ’13 HOURS: THE SECRET SOLDIERS OF BENGHAZI’
Michael Bay’s Benghazi movie is predictably terrible; tin-eared, hyper-masculine, loud as can be, excessively brutal, slyly jingoistic and politically tone-deaf. A protracted action film if there ever was one, 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi exploits Bay’s worst sensibilities as a director; it showcases his exploitative side, one not in control of tone or mood, blind to any sense of urgency, bombastically working the audience’s patriotic bone until it’s liable to snap. A more preening, hyper-masculine war movie, there may not have been in the 21st century. We’ve seen war as hell a million times. This is war as hoorah and pantie raids. Read More