My Own Little World

Spy films typically have very quick paces, moving from one set piece to another to progress the plot and eventually move towards a large twist or showdown. That’s not a problem with the genre, but it can allow characters to go undeveloped and their plot twists either too predictable or too spontaneous. When that happens, no matter how good the films can be otherwise, they feel shallow and too palatable. Shallow and palatable are not words I could use to describe Red Sparrow . This is the antithesis of a typical spy thriller, with its slow pace that focuses on the more deliberate parts of a spy’s work while also confronting Dominika’s (Jennifer Lawrence) harsh training and what it meant for her humanity. I really appreciated this actually; even though the film is long and does feel like it, it focuses a lot more time on elements of the story that might be short montages in a Bond or Bourne film. The biggest beneficiary of this slow, deliberate pace is the character developme...

I loved the first Kingsman  movie. It was such a breath of fresh air with its ridiculousness and on-the-nose parody of its genre (not too far off from what I felt Deadpool  did with its genre). Matthew Vaughn's direction made it quite a briskly-paced film as well while also having enough substance and good character writing to make it good in the slower, smaller moments. Naturally, I was looking forward to seeing this sequel after such a refreshing initial installment. Unfortunately, Kingsman: The Golden Circle  suffers dearly from a rampant disease in Hollywood: sequelitis. It's that condition that so many second and third installments have where they try to make everything bigger in scope by stuffing every second of the film with subplots upon subplots and new characters upon new characters. This typically results in very poorly paced movies where the audience is seldom given a moment to breathe. And...that's exactly what happened here. Now, I will say that if you...

I've taken a little more time in prepping my year-end wrap-up this year, mostly because I was making sure I had seen everything I wanted to in theaters before publishing. Like last year, I've written mini-reviews on all the films that I either saw too far into their theatrical run to do a full review on or after their home video release. Without further ado, I present to you Part 4 of the Rest of 2015... Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation - Buy it.  How can a franchise be this good in its fifth installment? M:I shows no signs of stopping with Rogue Nation , and neither does Tom Cruise, as he performs some of the most dangerous stunts of his career. The rest of the returning and new cast members make sure we don't lose the team dynamic that was so essential to Ghost Protocol . McQuarrie also has some great helming of the many action scenes, particularly the motorcycle chase. This is a thrill ride that keeps you on edge the whole time. Grade: 92 The Martian...

I feel like it's safe to say that I'm a bigger Bond fan than most of the people I know. Unlike many that I know who proclaim to like the James Bond franchise, I have seen the classic films with Connery, Dalton, and Moore. Now, I love Daniel Craig's portrayal of 007 more than any of theirs because it eschews the suave and smooth for realistic and cunning. He feels more human and less ideal than all of theirs, and his films reflect that. I have no problem with people loving Casino Royale  and Skyfall  (let's face it: Quantum of Solace  was just not good) and that being it. They're great films that deserve the admiration they get from my generation. However, I've got this sinking feeling that Spectre  won't be quite as well-liked by those who have only seen Craig's films. Why? Because Spectre  is classic Bond.  Some call it formulaic; I call it a return to what's been missing. Yes, we still get Craig's gritty world in Spectre ; but we also...