Frankenstein (2025)

Director Guillermo del Toro takes a crack at telling a story everybody already knows—or do they? I daresay this exceptionally faithful adaptation of Shelley’s book (as near as I can remember it, having read it many years ago) will have more than a few surprises for those who only know the tale from James Whale’s film, and decades of Halloween decorations and other bastardized versions. More interesting than story setting (mostly, the Arctic) and details (he speaks) for those with broader knowledge are this work’s fascinating philosophical nuances. I’m not sure there’s been an adaption of the book that more clearly represents Victor’s work as not merely madness and hubris but actual outright villainy. That’s an important part of the story and makes it a primary analogy for any number of situations that involve the dangers of arrogance and overreach. From a cinematic standpoint, the most striking feature of this feature is its visual style; the scenes are all feasts for the eyes, especially the picture-perfect examples of gothic-romantic set design. (These sets really give vaulted ceilings a workout.) The script and acting are very good, too. Oscar Isaac does a fine job of being villainous without failing to convey that his character—the bad doctor—doesn’t believe himself to be the problem. Meanwhile, Jacob Elordi plays the creature from grunts to eloquence believably, while mixing in just the right amount of menace when the situation calls for it. This really is a strong candidate for best adaptation of this tale ever. Yeah, acts of creation often go awry, but sometimes they work out just fine. 

The Addams Family (2019)

I was worried that this version of the longtime satirical weirdos would be defanged by being a film made with a children’s audience in mind. I need not have been worried. This animated installment of the franchise doesn’t rise to the levels of the earlier, live-action films from the early ‘90s—still classics of the dark humor genre to my mind—but it delivers enough genuine laughs that anyone can feel comfortable with this version of the characters. The standout, as usual, is Wednesday; she seems to be the character the whole concept revolves around, and as such all the best moments belong to her and her story. There are some faults; the humor could be a bit more dry and droll in places, and a few musical choices could be better. (Honestly, does every even vaguely creative work now need to be drenched in rap music?) Plus, the denouement is a bit timid, probably due to the family nature of the target audience; you’d like to see the villain hit a little harder in the end, but ... you know, the kids. Still, there’s enough to like here that the flaws can be overlooked. It may not be a total snap, but this is at least a song that’s catchy enough.

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

Just as a point in every direction is no point at all, one must also ask: if everyone is Spider-Man, then isn’t that the same as nobody really is Spider-Man? Is there nothing truly distinctive to the character that asks for something specific in the persona? The above may seem contradictory, but the thread, if you will, that binds much of this work together is contradiction. When this story reaches its key inflection point, with proclamations about not changing the canon, a viewer of any intelligence must be thinking, “You’ve got to be kidding.” The entire point of this exercise, here and in its predecessor, is about changing the canon—a fact made more and more obvious with each expression of its overarching agenda. (You may fill in that blank yourself.) And then, internal to that, there’s a gigantic contradiction in the stated premise that Miles is the source of the problem, so to speak. (I don’t want to spoil anything, but you can ask yourself: if Miles is an anomaly as stated, then how can he ... that’s about all I can give you.) Thus, there are issues here that should leave even the Generation AA-types this movie was made for scratching their heads, if not specifically calling bullshit. However, a huge part of this series’ appeal is the films being visually overwhelming, and that’s the sort of thing that can shut down higher brain functions. (That, I’m implying, may be intentional.) Huge swathes of the animation remain frenetic, to the point that an observer must wonder if there haven’t been a few seizures as a result of watching this flick. There’s also the danger of confusion, as the plot is so ambitious in the stories it is trying to tell that it can be easy to lose track of where you are at any given moment. A further consequence of that narrative largesse: the movie is so focused on the home life of its multiple protagonists that the villain, typically a major part of any superhero story, disappears for long stretches. Meh, he’s not that compelling anyway. Given these issues, how can this movie succeed? Mostly, it’s because the main characters are so damn likable that the viewer cares what happens to them in the end, and will be most disappointed if things go ill for these people. Alas, there’s a cliffhanger, so we’ll just have to wait and see how it all turns out. Again, I’ll go along for the denouement; I just wish I didn’t have to wade through so many layers of muddle and agenda to get there.

Dune (2021)

An interesting viewing experience. You can’t help but look at this movie as something fake, not because it’s science fiction--and thus wholly unreal--but because it bears a resemblance to so many other epic type productions that it feels like it’s a ripoff of something else. However, there is enough here that’s unique enough to credit this work in and of itself. (And Frank Herbert's source novel is old enough that, perhaps, it’s the other works that rip off this one). The film also has going for it a singular vision of how it looks, and its component elements--particularly the space and aircraft designs-- also feel fresh, even in the face of that derivative vibe. That same effect is assisted by a raft of familiar faces looking unfamiliar in their roles, though still doing good work, as well as the not-quite familiar Timothée Chalamet holding his own in the movie's linchpin role (something I wouldn’t have necessarily bet on going in). All in all, the proceedings hold the interest throughout the movie's long running time, with a story that promises to move in interesting directions in its upcoming continuation.

Star Wars: Episode IX -- The Rise of Skywalker

It's hard to say whether this is a good movie or not. It's hard to say much of anything about it. Partially, that's because, at this point, what is there to say about any of these movies? Partially, it's because this entry caps a series of films that some of us have been watching practically our entire lives; it is virtually impossible to filter out one's personal associations with the franchise versus its actual accomplishment (or not) as a piece of filmmaking. This episode has taken a big chunk of critical bashing; I doubt those complaints are sincere reflections on the nature of this work, rather than the verbal posings of those who want to burnish their intellectual bona fides by not throwing their lot in with the hoi polloi. I'll try to avoid that trap. Simply put, this movie works as a descendant of the early, Saturday matinee serial action adventure shorts, to which the series owes so much. If one recognizes it as such, then the viewer can appreciate the offering to a substantial degree. Anyone expecting Oscar-bait will not only be disappointed, but will be walking into the theater (or, at a future date, sitting down in front of a home screen) as a fool. Best to be wise and enjoy the simple pleasures--they're there in this piece, despite the critical carping--one last time, at least along this storyline.

Star Wars: Episode VIII -- The Last Jedi

The previous installment was a very "green" movie: lots of recycling. This one's more along the "reuse" lines; elements we've seen before come back at us again, but with just enough turns to show different facets and seem like something (almost) new. The viewer can even believe that something truly surprising is about to happen at more than one point in the proceedings, though it never really works out that way. And if the twist of the climactic scene is telegraphed...well, it's still a good bit of work anyway. You can say that very thing about this whole film: it's very strong conceptually, the execution is nearly flawless, and--most importantly--it is immensely entertaining throughout. Forceful indeed.

X-Men: Apocalypse

The recursiveness of these movies is starting to take over the whole franchise. Indeed, maybe it has become the entire point of the exercise. The constant back and forth through time; shifting allegiances as characters move from villain to hero and back again--and maybe back again; the neverending origin-izing, of characters, characteristics, relationships; and the inevitable cameo by everyone’s by-far favorite manly X-Man...An actual plot to the movie almost becomes superfluous to the assemblage of all the things that make the franchise the franchise. Oh, yeah, and it also has the now-standard superhero-movie traits of all-life-as-we-know-it in peril and global destruction depicted with almost porn-fetish detail. So is this a bad movie? No, it has its upsides, too: some very, very good actors bringing dimensions to this story cycle that would otherwise be absent (though Oscar Isaac is largely wasted through being buried under his costuming); a certain amount of “cool” factor that remains even after it should have long since played out; and, in particular, one sequence in the movie--Quicksilver’s star turn at Xavier’s school--that is so well done that it almost makes watching this flick worth the effort all by itself. Bottom line: it’s possible that this well is just about dry now, but if this entry shows up on your favorite premium channel, you won’t regret watching it

Star Wars: Episode VII--The Force Awakens

Those of a cynical mind might view the derivative nature of this outing--it is an almost blow by blow remake of the original 1977 story--as purposeful exploitation of a) an older, captive fanbase audience, and b) a new, younger generation of potential audience members who don't know from the original anyway, and won't be able to recognize the recycling. It is very likely that that cynical view is 100% true, but that does not necessarily toss this film onto the trash heap. The characters old and new are engaging (the newcomers acquit themselves very well), the movie looks beautiful, and at no point did I find my attention wavering during its relatively long running time. Ultimately, one should probably take this installment for what it is: a decent "soft" reboot of the franchise that, perhaps, raises a new hope for better things to come.

A Most Violent Year

Watching this movie is an extraordinary experience, not just because the story and performances are good (they are, very much so), but because the world it depicts (a gang war between heating oil companies in New York City in 1981) seems so alien to those of us living today--even if you're old enough to remember that year. The story is compelling, but what really drives this film is the performances of the leads; Oscar Isaac and Jessica Chastain skillfully rebut any arguments that the best actors these days only come from England (or maybe Australia). Both of them are riveting in their roles, particularly Isaac (who continues to demonstrate that he may now be the premier American actor of today). And Albert Brooks is brilliant (and almost unrecognizeable) as Abel's lawyer/consigliere. Overall, this is a mesmerizing study of a time and a place long gone but brought back to life by exceptional talents.

Ex Machina

This is a good movie...just not as good a movie as the breathless hype that surrounded it made it out to be. It does make you think, mostly about how you would react--and interact--in just such a situation. The film also makes a point of keeping things ambivalent enough that you don't really know if Oscar Isaac's inventor is a villain, or not...or, for that matter, if the AI is a villain or not, a murkiness about the subject that mirrors the real life debate on the seemingly inevitable rise of the robot world. I guess we'll find out that answer eventually, but you're not going to get it here. Still, I'd say this one's worth a look, as a change of pace if nothing else.

Inside Llewyn Davis

Once again, the Coen brothers display their minor obsession with Homer’s Odyssey. They might want to pull that classic down from the shelf and actually read it sometime, because, you see, that work actually had a story--something the Coens seem to be growing less and less concerned with as the years go along. This is a tough call, because I admit that this is a mostly entertaining movie that holds the interest, especially during the performance scenes (the music is very strong here, though if you’re not much for folkie stuff you might not be swayed to that point of view). But I also find this lack of attention to an actual narrative to be more and more grating with each film the brothers put out. Being oblique and vaguely existential may be entertaining to the Coens, but it doesn’t necessarily entertain us, the audience. If your tolerance moves through a wide orbit, you’ll probably like this film very much; but if you want something a little closer to the heart of the storytelling experience, this probably isn’t it.

Drive

Undoubtedly, this movie was shot totally in digital format; that's too bad, since if it were film I could say that Style practically drips from every frame. This movie owns its look in a big way; there hasn't been a flick that so clearly defines its own form in a very long time. But this is not a complete triumph of style over substance; the audience gets a rich tableaux of character, story, and emotional depth to complement all that flashy, self-conscious mise-en-scene. Drive has been a polarizing work for many people, but you can count me among the impressed. This one is a powerful, absorbing, entertaining piece of work, and well worth your time.

Robin Hood

The ghost of Errol Flynn hangs heavily over this movie. It would be bad enough trying to do a standard remake of the Merry Man's adventures; a re-imagination that changes the story in significant ways asks a lot of the audience. Not that this film is bad; there's much to recommend it, including a lot of authenticity and good performances by leads Crowe and Blanchett. But even so, you walk away feeling that something is missing here. A tough call--probably worth a look, but no guarantees.