Justice League: A Review

Watching the DC Cinematic Universe so far has been like watching someone stitch together a parachute after they've already jumped out of the plane. With the exception of Wonder Woman, each entry has been met with mixed (at best) receptions and felt like they've had to make up for the mistakes of their predecessors. This has led to behind the scenes chaos and left the entire enterprise in a state of flux as to what it's actually trying to be and do. Not helping is Marvel continuing to show them up when it comes to Superhero movies. The surprise success of Wonder Woman helped right the ship, but smooth sailing wasn't guaranteed. Justice League is kind of the last gasp for this franchise to keep the whole thing from crashing and burning. Thankfully, the movie does that and has put the DC Cinematic Universe on stable footing for the first time.

Blade Runner 2049: A Review

For the life of me, I still can't understand why they made a sequel to Blade Runner. If there was ever a classic movie that didn't need a sequel, that would be it because making a sequel could only ruin the allure and mystique of the original. Blade Runner is an outright classic that raises a lot of interesting questions about the nature of life and humanity that left the audience to figure out the answers themselves. What could really be gained from a sequel? What would it even be about? Well, the team behind Blade Runner 2049 seem to have taken the path of not really making a sequel at all, but more of an original story that happens to take place in the same universe as the first movie with a few tangential connections. That was probably the right move from a narrative standpoint, but it also plays into what I feel is the film's greatest weakness. Which is that it never really justifies its own existence.

Best Movies of 2017 (May - August)

With so many good movies in the first third of the year, I had my doubts that summer could measure up. But while there are fewer really great movies on this list (or maybe I just didn't see as many really great movies), I was still pleasantly surprised by how many quality films opened during the cinematic junk food season. It's shaping up to a very good year at the movies. Again, these aren't top 10s or countdowns, just alphabetical lists of great movies I recommend.

Now on with the list,

Climbing the Dark Tower: The Movie

Like Roland the Gunslinger before us, we've finally reached the Dark Tower. I began this series in preparation for this movie, reading the entire series to get ready for it. After going through those 4000 or so pages of characters and mythology, how do I feel about the movie adaptation I read them for? Well, I'm sorry to say, kind of disappointed. Not that it's a bad movie, though it's certainly not a great movie, but it just didn't have the feel of the series. That ineffable quality that made the books unique and engaging. I'll try to explain what I mean.

Best Movies of 2017 (January- April)

2017 may have begun very, very crappy in many ways, but it's been a spectacular year at the movies so far. The first few months of the year are usually when the worst pieces of cinematic garbage get released, so it was a pleasant surprise when so many quality films came out. In that spirit, I'll be doing best of lists all year. These aren't Top 10s or countdowns, just alphabetical lists of great movies that have come out and that I want you to check out.

So without further ado,

So what was going on at the End of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2?

SPOIlERS FOR GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 2 AND ALL CURRENT MARVEL FILMS

It's that time again, folks. Time for me to explain what all your nerd friends were freaking about during the credits of a Marvel movie but just left you confused. It's a dirty job, but someone's got to do it.

Thankfully, Marvel Studios and James Gunn decided to make the wait through the scroll of names a bit more bearable by sprinkling a couple post-credits stingers throughout. It's a trick I hope they use again, the stingers were like a nice after dinner mint and very fun. Not all of these contain hints to future movies though, so I'm expanding the format a little here. I'll still be looking at possible sequel teases, but I'll also just explain the Marvel easter eggs and shout outs. Stuff that's not vital in the overall continuity, but are interesting in their own right.

Last warning for spoilers and here we go,