Fair Value of Lords of Chaos: $18.00. One of the best comedies I’ve seen in a while. A Spinal Tap for my generation, deadpan and wry. Is This Film Worth My Time? You’re either going to laugh, or you’re going to be very disturbed, at the antics of the Scandinavian misanthropes that populate this film. […]
Alita: Battle Angel

Film Title
Alita: Battle AngelSynopsis
A deactivated female cyborg is revived, but cannot remember anything of her past life and goes on a quest to find out who she is.
Director
Robert RodriguezCast
Rosa Salazar as the Chosen Waif aka Big Eyes, Small Emote
Keean Johnson as Dawson's Creek in the Year 3000
Christopher Waltz as your friendly neighborhood ripperdoc.
Jennifer Connelly as Older Women are sinister
Mahershala Ali as The Man
Ed Skrein as Insufferable Recurring Lesser Villain
Jackie Earle Haley as Battle Shrek
Alita: Battle Angel 2 hours 2 minutes, PG-13 for ample cyborg ultraviolence (gore doesn’t count as long as it’s wires and not blood) Fair Value of Alita: Battle Angel- $8.00 Crunchy popcorn, even if the oil’s synthetic. Lavish visuals and an imaginative world with an underwhelming core, like an old computer with a flashy casemod. […]
Suspiria (2018)

Film Title
Suspiria (2018)Synopsis
A remake that doesn’t quite make it
Director
Luca GuadagninoCast
Dakota Johnson
Tilda Swinton
Doris Hick
Malgorzata Bela
Angela Winkler
Suspiria (2018) Fair Value of the new Suspiria: $0.00 . There are so many better films that this remake derives from. The original Suspiria, The Ninth Gate, Lords of Salem– for films about witchcraft, you have a lot of more striking options. Catholic Horror versus Protestant Horror: Watching this remake of a genre-defining Giallo film […]
Bad Times at the El Royale

Film Title
Bad Times at the El RoyaleSynopsis
Seven strangers, each with dark secrets to bury, meet at the El Royale Hotel in Lake Tahoe
Director
Drew GoddardCast
Cynthia Erivo as Dreamgirls taking a Wrong Turn
Jeff Bridges as grizzled
Jon Hamm as paranoid secret agent man
Chris Hemsworth as Charles Manson, Superstar!
Dakota Johnson as Chris Hemsworth's ex-girlfriend
Nick Offerman as an old school gangster
Lewis Pullman, as the in over his head bellboy/ desk clerk
Bad Times at the El Royale 2 hours 11 minutes, R for Tarantino-Style Gun Play (with comparable levels of blood splatter) Fair Value of Bad Times at the El Royale: $4.00. Its a solid choice as a streaming rental, solid without being particularly distinct, entertaining enough. Norman Bates, Travis Bickle, The Manson Family, and Nixons […]
BlacKkKlansman (2018)

Film Title
BlacKkKlansman (2018)Synopsis
Oh, Brother, Where Art Thou?
Director
Spike LeeCast
Alec Baldwin
Adam Driver
John David Washington
Laura Harrier
Harry Belafonte
2 hours 15 minutes, Rated R for bombings and lynchings. Fair Value of BlacKkKlansman (2018): $12.00. Its the first film I’ve seen this summer worthy of a Best Picture nomination. Invisible Empire: Racism is the central ideology of the American Empire. I know you’re going to throw democracy and liberty in my face- but that’s […]
Mission Impossible Six: Fallout

Film Title
Mission Impossible Six: FalloutSynopsis
Bad guys have stolen a nuke, blah blah blah. Want to destroy civilization, blah blah. Your mission, blee blo. Rag-tag team of misfits, scoodily poopy rum tum tum.
Cast
Tom Cruise as Ethan Hunt, Super-Generic
Henry Cavill as American Dad
Rebecca Ferguson as Black Widow
Ving Rhames as Wise and Experience Black Man
Simon Pegg as comic relief
Angela Bassett as sinister CIA red herring
Sean Harris as The Unabomber.
Vanessa Kirby as Misplaced Bond Girl.
Mission Impossible Six: Fallout 2 hours 27 minutes, PG-13 for boiling coolant to the face. Fair Value of This Film: $3.00. Some good stunt work, but nothing really sets this film apart from the franchise. As generic as a Honda Accord. I saw this film twenty minutes ago and I’m already starting to forget it. […]
Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom

Film Title
Jurassic World: Fallen KingdomSynopsis
This time we light the bird’s ancestors on fire
Director
J.A. BayonaCast
Chris Pratt
Bryce Dallas Howard
Rafe Spall
James Cromwell
Ted Levine
Justice Smith
Daniella Pineda
Toby Jones
Jeff Goldblum
BD Wong
Isabella Sermon
Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom is 2 hrs 8 minutes, PG-13 for maiming and people get used as chew toys Basic Concept: Jurassic Park, except this time we light the dinosaurs on fire. What? There’s a volcano erupting on the Jurassic Park island, and so, you have a lot of stampeding dinosaurs that may also be […]
Incredibles 2

Film Title
Incredibles 2Synopsis
Mr. Incredible babysits while Elastigirl saves the world
Director
Brad BirdCast
Samuel L. Jackson
Holly Hunter
Craig T. Nelson
Sarah Vowell
Bob Odenkirk
Catherine Keener
1 Hour 34 Minutes, G Special Warning: Incredibles 2 has scenes with bright high-intensity flashing patterns that may induce epileptic episodes. Also, this film is chock full of subliminal messages (courtesy of the villain)- if you believe in the effect of subliminals, this is a film to avoid. Fair Value Rating of The Incredibles 2: […]
Hotel Artemis

Film Title
Hotel ArtemisSynopsis
A nurse runs a secret, members-only E. R. for criminals.
Director
Drew PearceCast
Jodie Foster
Sterling K. Brown
Sofia Boutella
Jeff Goldblum
Dave Bautista
Zachary Quinto
Hotel Artemis is likely to be one of the obscure gems of the summer of 2018. Its a wonderful peanut-butter and chocolate combination of genres: cyberpunk and the Grand Hotel genre. Hotel Artemis is a well acted ensemble piece, nimbly juggling multiple sub-plots and capers, making the most of an enclosed and limited set. Give […]
Deadpool 2

Film Title
Deadpool 2Synopsis
Yes, Josh Brolin is the Bad Guy in this movie.
Director
David LeitchCast
Ryan Reynolds
Josh Brolin
Morena Baccarin
Julian Dennison
Zazie Beetz
T. J. Miller
Is this film worth my time?Deadpool 2 is middle level lowbrow action comedy for middle-schoolers and muddled stoners alike.If you’re cool spending your time with 3rd– rate live action South Park, who am I to judge? Check your brain at the door. 1 Hour 59 Minutes, R for graphic dismemberment, sodomy, tiny genitalia Fair Value […]