Directed by Kevin Kölsch, Dennis Widmyer Pet Sematary is a grim, self-serious and nearly identical remake of the odd 1989 film of the same name. I'm surprised to find such rigid devotion to the source material considering that older film was kind of atrocious. In fact this film, while not exactly bad, is similarly atrocious. … Continue reading Pet Sematary (2019)
remake
Dumbo (2019)
Directed by Tim Burton Dumbo, like its young elephant, has a tough time getting going. The opening moments of the film, aside from a deliriously wonderful and very Tim Burton montage, are loaded with exposition, both in the text and subtext. It sets up characters with frustrating flaws if only because they're so transparent and eager … Continue reading Dumbo (2019)
The Predator (2018)
Directed by Shane Black Something feels wrong about The Predator. It's a rough reboot of the 1987 film, complete with a new round of machismo heroes (though they all suffer from some form of PTSD), but the movie's possible charm dissipates quickly when they do the whole Jurassic World thing of introducing a second, bigger/badder Predator as … Continue reading The Predator (2018)
A Star is Born (2018)
Directed by Bradley Cooper A Star is Born is a melodrama in which celebrity, it seems, is a zero sum game. The movie tracks the romance between a fading star musician, Jackson Maine (Bradley Cooper) and an up and coming pop star, Ally (Lady Gaga). They meet by chance, in the ways Hollywood lovers do, … Continue reading A Star is Born (2018)
3:10 to Yuma (2007)
Directed by James Mangold In 3:10 to Yuma a poor farmer must escort a Jesse James-like criminal across dangerous lands to the 3:10 train to Yuma prison. In doing so the farmer, Dan Evans (Christian Bale), redeems himself in his disappointed son's eyes while criminal Ben Wade (Russell Crowe) bonds with the man and grows apart … Continue reading 3:10 to Yuma (2007)
