Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018)
I suppose it was inevitable. At some point, there was going to be a misfire in Marvel Studios’ Phase Three. Just as it wraps up, here it is: Ant-Man and the Wasp.
Tomb Raider (2018)
Alicia Vikander’s interpretation of Lara Croft is incredible; she deserved a better movie.
American Ultra (2015)
Here are the things to like about American Ultra: Kristen Stewart’s performance as a put-upon girlfriend. She’s fantastic, as always. The chemistry between Stewart and on-screen boyfriend Jesse Eisenberg, playing a kind of Cheech-and-Bourne stoner/super-soldier mashup. Some imaginative use of neon/black light colours. …and that’s it, sadly. American Ultra could have been a funny, energetic…
The Top 10 (or 12) Episodes of Television in 2013
10. Spartacus: War of the Damned – “Victory” Not the last finale on this list, “Victory” is a triumphant conclusion to a slightly overstuffed season of the great, underrated Spartacus. With a substantial list of casualties, “Victory” was defined by tragedy and, yes, victory, even if that victory was a moral one, not born of…
Justified – “Ghosts” (Season 4, Episode 13)
Who would have thought, watching the Justified pilot, that the line separating Boyd Crowder and Raylan Givens would become so blurred? The two men, inextricably bonded, have always been two sides of the one coin, but after the season finale “Ghosts,” it’s not clear that they don’t deserve to inhabit the same, grimy side of…
Justified – “Decoy” (Season 4, Episode 11)
There’s nothing like the ever-present threat of death hanging over an episode of television to keep things interesting. Every moment in this week’s episode of Justified was heightened, every line carrying extra weight, as everyone manoeuvred to either protect or abduct Drew Thompson, whose history was fleshed out as he was frantically ferried from one…
Justified – “Outlaw” (Season 4, Episode 8)
“Jesus, I hope I got that right.” You sure did, Justified. After a couple average episodes in the middle there, Season Four excels with a momentous, captivating episode, brilliantly directed, acted and written. So much happens in this episode. Arlo meets his grisly end, a conclusion that seems obvious in retrospect but shocking in the…
Justified – “Money Trap” (Season 4, Episode 7)
“Money Trap” combined a couple plots that should have been compelling television into an unfortunately average episode. Raylan hunting down a fugitive with a grudge and a porn director associate (Paul Kinsey!) has promise, but it felt like an excuse to show that Raylan still knows his way around a gun (and women). Boyd and…
Justified – “Truth and Consequences” (Season 4, Episode 3)
When I first started watching Justified, it took me a while to enjoy the show. Mostly because Season 1 spent many early episodes on standalone plots, as though it were a gunfight procedural, and I always prefer some serialisation in my television. Showrunner Graham Yost seems to have found the sweet spot between standalone and…
Justified – “Where’s Waldo?” (Season 4, Episode 2)
This week in Justified, Raylan and his fellow marshals investigate further the true meaning behind Arlo’s bag, discovered last episode, and find Waldo while they’re at it. This subplot was enjoyable enough, but the intricately scripted scene at the Truths didn’t feel as impressive as it ought to have been. I think this is mostly…
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