What arrives in the first season of “Star Trek: Starfleet Academy” is not a reinvention so much as a retreat. The series backs away from serious science fiction—the kind that once used strange worlds to stage moral argument, philosophical tension, and adult doubt—and replaces it with a glossy boarding-school melodrama full of rivalries, flirtations, confessions, […]
I am always partial to Brad Bird, and think that his production of Incredibles 2i s just that—impressive enough to be regarded as incredible, and a film that is likely to appeal to all ages. One of Bird’s strengths is in mixing lavish visual and special effects with an entertaining story of substance. Beyond the entertainment, values come
There are a few films each year that seem to hit at the right moment, with all the right themes. Kumail Nanjiani’s The Big Sick, already won investors at Sundance (landing a $12 million dollar deal with Amazon), audiences at SXSW, and now with enthusiastic support from the critics (Anne Thompson calling it a best
SXSW2017 opened with Austin legend Terrence Malick’s latest “cinematic poetry”, or at least that’s the positive spin fans used to describe it. When asked about working with the complicated, misunderstood and elusive Texan director, Mara (Girl with the Dragon Tattoo) described the experience as “rough”. Fassbender (Steve Jobs) explained how difficult it was working with
Zack Snyder’s highly anticipated “Man of Steel” (2013) follow-up is arguably the most anticipated film of the year. I say arguably, because for those of us with a mentality over the age of 13 this is just another day, another superhero movie. Warner Bros/DC comics have bet the Kent farm on this summer movie (although
The first thought in my head is that writer/director David Gordon Green’s Manglehorn is better than his last SXSW film, Joe. Al Pacino also gives one of his best performances in a long while; I would have to go all the way back to Insomnia to find a time when I enjoyed him this much.