In the mid-2010s, Michael Bay broke from his long-standing practice of making chaotic and juvenile escapism to helm two chaotic and juvenile exhumations of the American Experiment. One of these was 2016's 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi, headlined by a roided-up John Krasinski. The other was the subject of this review, 2013's Pain…Read more Film Review: Pain & Gain (2013)

I’ve long said that people need to meet films where they are. Because if you accept what a film’s capacity is, you’ll set your expectations accordingly. Exhibit A is this year’s Flight Risk. One of the more recent products of our era of streaming slop, this had turkey written all over it. But I went…Read more Film Review: Flight Risk (2025)

In 1985's Commando, there is a fight between Arnie and Bill Duke that perfectly encapsulates that film's unique appeal. While the two actors trade sledgehammer blows, and the fight ends with Duke's character getting fatally impaled on a sharp piece of wood, the scene never gets too brutal and remains light and breezy throughout. Furthering…Read more Film Review: The Beekeeper (2024)

When my lovely partner recently suggested we watch the 2016 comedy Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates, I must admit I felt similar to how I did when we plopped our hennies down to Instant Family, my review of which you can read here. Of course, I was immediately attracted to the idea due to…Read more Film Review: Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates (2016)

Despite featuring the absolutely magnificent Rose Byrne in a leading role, I must admit I approached Instant Family with some trepidation. Perhaps it was her pairing with that stupid, thuggish oaf Mark Wahlberg as her co-star. Perhaps it was the idea of a white, affluent couple fostering a brood of disadvantaged Hispanic children. Perhaps it…Read more Film Review: Instant Family (2018)

An off the wall, truly bonkers piece of cinema, A Little Bit of Heaven has to be seen to be believed. The film tells the story of Marley (Kate Hudson), a “free spirited” woman whose life of casual hookups and batshit insane advertising pitches is derailed by a sudden ass cancer diagnosis. While pursuing treatment,…Read more Film Review: A Little Bit of Heaven (2011)

I have a crystal-clear memory of watching Spider-Man 3 in theaters in the South Chicagoland area back in 2007. At the time, I thought it was a massive letdown from the soaring heights of the previous two films from the trilogy.  To some degree, my opinion hasn't changed. I still don't think it measures up…Read more Film Review: Spider-Man 3 (2007)

A classic case of a decent idea marred by poor execution, Novocaine is one of those films you want to like but ultimately can't. The film stars Jack Quaid, one of the most enjoyable of the nepo-babies that have taken over Hollywood in the 2020s. Here he plays Nate, a young(ish) assistant bank manager who…Read more Film Review: Novocaine (2025)

Beloved the world over, it feels like there is very little that already hasn't been said about The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. All I can really add is that this is perhaps my favorite film of all time. It launched my interest in cinema as a serious art form and…Read more Film Review: The Lord of the Rings – The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)