Killing Time

My Favorite Scene: Avatar (2009) “The Hallelujah Mountains”

There was a time, not so long ago, when people went to the movies to see something they’d never seen before. A quarter-century into the era of CGI, it feels like almost everything has been done. Big films have thousands of VFX shots, and while the quality of them has definitely increased exponentially, the quantity is such…

My Favorite Scene: Beverly Hills Cop (1984) “Serge”

When I was 19, my friends and I invented fireball. We hollowed out a nerf football, filled it with gas, lit it on fire, and kicked it around. The goal of the game, more or less, was…Do Not Die. I mention this as a standard of comparison because when Eddie Murphy was 19, he was starring on Saturday Night Live.

People forget…

My Favorite Scene: The Good Place Season 2 (2017) “The Trolley Problem”

The Ethical Magnificence of The Trolley Problem

I have a proposal that I think will make Philosophy 101 more palatable for all college freshman: replace the course with a binge watch of The Good Place. Now, I do understand that there are people who enjoy deep philosophical arguments. I do get that. But, by and large, those…

My Favorite Scene: Deadpool 2 (2018) “Deploy X-Force!”

This is a very strange time for movie’s mutants. With the Disney/FOX merger nearly complete, the X-franchises, which ushered in the modern age of superhero films with 2000’s X-Men, are in limbo. New Mutants and Dark Phoenixwill likely wrap up the FOX-era X-Men films, and you could see Xavier and Co. in the MCU in the next…

My Favorite Scene: Mission Impossible: Fallout (2018) “Extracting Lane”

Mission: Impossible Fallout’s Best Scene

Mission Impossible: Falloutdefied the two defining trends of 2018 at the films. It exceeded the wildest expectations anyone had for the sixth film in a 22-year-old series, and it managed to be the poster child for how franchises can be amazing in a year when franchise fatigue seemed to…

No Formal “In Theaters Column for 8/3/2018

Quick and dirty In Theaters column this week.  Mission Impossible: Fallout returned us to our winning ways.  Fallout took in a franchise record $61.3 million to handily take the weekend crown last week over #2 Mama Mia: Here We Go Again, which managed $15.2 million.  This weekend brings three new wide releases: Disney’s Christopher Robin, Kate McKinnon’s comedy The Spy Who Loved Me, and the…

Venom Trailer #2 (2018) *The World Has Enough Superheroes*

Venom’s second full trailer focuses less on the film’s plot and more on showing off Spider-Man’s morally ambiguous doppelganger.  The Venom teaser took a lot of heat for not really showing the symbiote (a word I have apparently been mispronouncing for 30 years).  The first Venom trailerwas more story-based but did show a lot of…

Release Date Set for Jumanji 3

Sony has officially confirmed that Jumanji 3 will be released on December 13, 2019. Variety revealed that Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart, Jack Black, and Karen Gillen will all reprise their roles. Director Jake Kasdan and producer Matt Tolmach will be on board, too.

(Spoiler warning: Details about the first two Jumanji films are discussed below.)

It will be interesting to see how Jumanji: Welcome to…

In Theaters This Week (7/27/2018): Mission Impossible: Fallout, Teen Titans GO To The Movies

Each Thursday we look at what is going to be coming out in theaters this weekend, show you the trailers for the big releases, predict the box office winner and just generally give you enough of a carrot to pull you through the rest of the work week.  This week brings TWO well-reviewed new films into wide release. (more…)