Richard Linklater Delivers An Intriguing Trip With A Scanner Darkly

Richard Linklater's primary focus as a filmmaker has been making quiet meditations on how mundane moments of life shape us as people in the long-term. This wistful kind of storytelling has served him extremely well in delivering such outstanding features as Boyhood or any of the three Before movies. But over the course of his career Linklater has stepped out of that comfort zone to deliver delightful family comedies (School of Rock), remarkable Coen Brothers-esque dark comedies (Bernie) and even acclaimed period piece romantic dramas (Me and Orson Welles). But perhaps his biggest stretch outside of Boyhood-type projects is A Scanner Darkly, an animated adaptation of Phillip K. Dick's novel of the same name.

If You've Been Holding Out For A Hero, Then Avengers: Endgame Delivers

Spoilers for the ending of Avengers: Infinity War follow but absolutely no spoilers for Avengers: Endgame are contained within this review.

On paper, Avengers: Endgame is a proposition that really should be laughable rather than something you can pull off. Continuing off the cliffhanger ending of Avengers: Infinity War, a fun movie that did have a bad habit of throwing away characterization at the expense of spectacle, that saw so many beloved superheroes perish after Thanos (Josh Brolin) used the Infinity Gauntlet to snap half of the universe out of existence, Avengers: Endgame decides to expand its scope even wider Infinity War's already expansive storytelling canvas. This should result in excess to the nth degree, but instead, Avengers: Endgame winds up as something extraordinary, a blockbuster movie that can touch your heart so profoundly and also make you giggle with giddy glee at what fun is transpiring on-screen. As someone who frequently enjoys these Marvel Cinematic Universe movies, this fan-service heavy entry is aimed squarely at me, and there's plenty of moments in the film that made the nerdy side of me break out into convulsions of joy for sure.

Avengers: Infinity War Goes Big, Very Big, To Highly Enjoyable Success

Note: No spoilers are detailed in this review, but a barebones outline for the first third-ish of the plot is contained within. Due to the overwhelming secrecy surrounding this film, this may be considered spoiler territory for some so caution is advised if that's the case for you.

Avengers: Infinity War is a lot to take in. I don't mean that in a hyperbolic sense, I mean, objectively, this is a whole heck of a lot of cinema to process. Numerous storylines spanning everywhere from Scotland to the deepest far reaches of Space crop up with various corners of the Marvel Cinematic Universe getting explored, each with their distinct tones intact. Holding everything together as connective tissue is the constant presence of the villainous Thanos (Josh Brolin), but this is still an expansive story in scope. In handling such a vast story, Avengers: Infinity War comes up short compared to other recent MCU movies (it's no Black Panther, that's for sure) but it manages to juggle all these plates in the air remarkably well. The fact that a movie with this much on its agenda manages to be far more exhilarating than exhausting does feel like a total victory.

The Spectacularly Fun And Endearing Spider-Man: Homecoming, Like A Beauty School Drop-Out, Goes Back To High School

"And so a legend is born and a new name is added to the roster of those who make the world of fantasy the most exciting realm of all!" - closing line of Amazing Fantasy #15, the first ever appearance of Spider-Man

Prior to 2017, we've been through six different Spider-Man movies, ranging from the cheap-o days of the 1977 movie joint that never even got a U.S. theatrical release to the Sam Raimi classics of the early days of the 21st century to the two Marc Webb movies that proved to be the nadir of the Spider-Man on the silver screen (even that 1977 movie was better than The Amazing Spider-Man 2 since it didn't feature Spider-Stalking). What on Earth could a new iteration of the character possibly bring to the table? Shockingly, quite a bit actually. Spider-Man: Homecoming turns out to have a lot it brings to the table that ends up making it a thoroughly unique take on the Spidey mythos, one with a lot of fun and zest to its name as well.

Good Men Become Obssessed With Finding The Signs Pointing To Answers In Zodiac

We all love a good mystery. Why you think mystery novels, whether they're aimed at adults or youngsters, tend to sell like hot cakes? Mysteries tend to sell well because they offer up all the confusion and uncertainty of everyday life, but typical mystery books/films/TV shows also offer up something life, more often than not, doesn't offer: a tidy conclusion. You get to find out what bad guy committed whatever mystery is driving the plot and his motivations by the end of these mystery tales in sharp contrast to real life where, frequently, those kind of answers are never found. Pieces of mystery based entertainment allow us to indulge in getting the kind of closure on atrocities we may never find in reality.

Good Night, And Good Luck Review

In the first era directly after World War II, the American populace was scrambling to get things back to the way they were, to find comfort in normal life again. Of course, just as one war ended, another was brewing, this time between the U.S. and Russia in a Cold War that would span decades to come. This conflict created a panic among Americans for the potential presence of any Communist sympathizers in the United States who, in their minds, would bring with them the downfall of their country.  From this alarm (as well as, of course, plenty of other external factors) came the Joseph MacCarthy's rampant hearings accusing numerous individuals of having Communist ties or sympathies.

Captain America: Civil War Review

If I had a time machine, ya know where I'd go? Back to March 2003, the month when the pilot for the classic TV series Arrested Development was filmed. Somehow, I'd find a way to talk to the duo directing this pilot, two individuals by the name of Anthony and Joe Russo. I'd take them aside momentarily to tell them that not only would the show they're currently working on would go on to become one of the most prolific TV comedies of all-time, but these two would be responsible for two of the most beloved blockbusters in one of the biggest film franchises ever to exist.

Iron Man's Influence Spread Far Beyond Its Own Cinematic Universe (Make Mine Marvel #1)

PHASE ONE

Discovery

"Iron Man. That's kind of catchy!"

Looking over the history of superhero films, there is no more important time period than the summer of 2008, wherein five very different superhero films debuted over the course of 12 weeks. One, Hancock, was not based on any preexisting property, while another, Hellboy II: The Golden Army, delved into Guillermo Del Toro style fantasy with aplomb. The differences between just these two movies is vast, but tossing in the other three that premiered over the summer just shows how wide in storytelling scope the framework of superhero cinema can be.

Robert Downey Jr. In Captain America 3 Takes The MCU To The Next Level

Last night, me and a buddy of mine watched Star Wars: Rebels, chit-chatted for a while, having too good of a time for me to think to check my phone. When I got home, I looked on The Hollywood Reporter for any major Hollywood news, and at the bottom of the page, was some humongous news; Robert Downey Jr. was going to be in Captain America 3. And this wasn't just a post-credits scene, no no no, this was to set up a cinematic adaptation of the Civil War storyline.

As you can imagine, I'm more than a little excited.

The Judge Review

Insert Courtroom Pun Here

Relics of the past adorn the first frames of The Judge, items meant to be deep symbolism by the end of the cinematic venture. For me, they hold no more meaning after 142 arduous minutes than they did once the film began, but truth be told, that's not a specific knock at the worn baseball glove that opens the movie. Very little of The Judge is actually worth caring about, and those relics are easily some of the misfires smallest offenders in terms of failure.

Iron Man 4 Is Happening....Maybe. Sort Of. I Dunno.

Jurassic Park 4. Any potential new season of Arrested Development. Iron Man 4. These are just three projects that have been in development forever, that constantly are brought up in interviews. Fans dream of seeing them, but weirdly, despite my adoration of Iron Man, I'm cool with no Iron Man 4. Now, if there was one, I'm sure I'd be pumped and jazzed for it, but right now, I can honestly say I'm OK with leaving Iron Man in its current form as a trilogy. 

Box Office Analysis: What Will Be Huge In October 2014?

Well, Gone Girl just became the biggest opener of David Finchers career, and Annabelle furthered The Conjuring franchise in a significant manner. But we still have four more weeks of October to week, and tons of new releases to look at it. And while I'll be analyzing these features in more detail in my weekly Box Office Predictions column, let's take a quick peek at the rest of this month as a whole, shall we?

Clint Eastwoods Next Movie, Starring Bradley Cooper, And The Point Break Remake Get Release Dates

Warner Bros. just did a bunch of release date announcements, for some big dramas, action flicks and horror movies they have coming out over the next two years.

First Avengers 2 Photos Show off Ultron, Scarlet Witch and Bruce Banner In A Lab Coat

Robert Downey Jr. and Chris Evans reprise their roles as Iron Man
and Captain America, but the robotic fellow is the dude them and their fellow
Avengers will face next Summer, Ultron. Not a cool guy.

As you can tell by my avatar, I'm kind of a Marvel fan. So obviously I'm super duper pumped to see what the studios got up their sleeve this forthcoming Comic-Con. One thing that'll be on prominent display is their major summer 2015 release The Avengers: Age of Ultron, which as you might have guessed, is a sequel to a mildly successful The Avengers. Entertainment Weekly has made the movie their cover story for the week, and as you can tell by the awesome cover above, The Avengers are about to face a mighty awesome looking foe. Below, are a bunch of new photos along with my brief explanations for the uninitiated.

Begin Again Review

First you get the music, then you get the sugar, then you get the women.

Considering all the changes the music industry has undergone in the past decade and a half, a film focusing on a music executive and his attempt to bring a new singer into the spotlight might be an excellent way to look at those changes. And if you wanna ignore that, cool. I'm sure this is a fantastic opportunity to utilize the talents of folks like Mark Ruffalo, Kiera Knightly and Hallie Steinfeld in a film that's exceptionally well written. That's that? The movie is a disappointing mixture of cliches and tediousness? Well now, ain't that a kick in the head.

Chef Review

It must be said that Jon Favreau has probably has had the most unexpected career trajectory in Hollywood except for maybe Neil Patrick Harris. Who would have thought the dude who played a recurring character on Buzz Lightyear of Star Command would end up directing the best Christmas (Elf) and Superhero (Iron Man) movies of all-time? Of course, he's had his struggles, with him squaring off against Marvel Studios over the direction of Iron Man 2 and Cowboys and Aliens becoming a major financial failure.