Author: Rob Dean

The fear of the dark is probably the most primal terror that mankind has — a powerful instinct that lets us know there could very well be something lurking in the shadows that means us harm. Add to that people’s own propensity for projecting their worst fears ahead of them, and that’s the perfect recipe for being terrified of the dark. We may grow out of seeing horrible monsters in our closets and ravenous creatures under our beds, but that creeping dread still exists somewhere in our brains. “The Boogeyman” knows these primal fears of ours, the ones coded in…

In this era of hyperbole, it’s easy for the actual superlative works to not receive their proper acclaim. The lack of nuance in online discourse that has led to people having to pronounce everything in terms of absolutes has hampered reasonable discussions about films that are truly exceptional (and those that are genuinely heinous). Acknowledging that such proclamations are far too common and watered down, I am still very comfortable in saying that “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” is one of the greatest achievements in animation history and easily this year’s best movie (so far). Bold approaches to visuals, an inventive…

What is the point of 2023’s live-action version of “The Little Mermaid”? Like all the Disney adaptations from the past decade, it slavishly recreates scenes and story beats with minor changes that don’t add much of anything. There’s such an overreliance on CG that these new versions barely count as live-action anyway, while the effects themselves are never as good at rendering the kind of wonder and spectacle of their animated counterparts. It’s clear that the Disney machine is cashing in on nostalgia to squeeze more money out of these properties with little creative effort, and while there are some…

The “Fast and Furious” series has always threaded a very fine needle when it comes to the varying degrees of ridiculousness on display. The good is reflected in sending a car to outer space, driving through one building and into another, or catching and redirecting a torpedo barehanded. The bad pops up in the form of self-aware commentary, convoluted plot wrangling and inconsistent characterization. These are not meant to be serious movies, yet they still find ways to undercut the bonkers reality that they establish. “Fast X” is no different, but while there are highlights to be found in this…

Failed fun is probably the worst kind there is. “Ghosted” is meant to be a fun rom-com with fun people trading fun quips amidst fun action sequences. But when all that “fun” turns out to be false, the film becomes a real chore. While stars Chris Evans and Ana de Armas have chemistry, the script is generally awful and further hampered by inept direction and clumsy cinematography/editing. Additionally, the characters are weird in uninteresting ways, and the dialogue that tumbles out of their mouths is awkward and ill-conceived. Nevertheless, the movie is constantly trying to push its “we’re all having…

Try as I might, I am not immune to various Internet scuttlebutt about movies. I generally attempt to avoid spoilery information as well as any sort of early buzz about a film, not because it would color my own opinion but because it makes for a better viewing experience. However, “Beau Is Afraid” started getting a bit of a weird cachet in corners of online cinephilia, with stories that people found the film to be an utterly bizarre experience. Having seen writer/director Ari Aster’s latest feature, there’s no doubt that it’s odd, and there are some genuine WTF moments scattered…

Over the years, there have been a number of films that combine the action, comedy and horror genres, such as “They Live,” “From Dusk Till Dawn” and “Day Shift,” but this particular hybrid has never been given its own subgenre label, despite being its own unique thing. The latest entry in this subset is “Renfield,” which doesn’t really do any of those respective genres well but has enough merit when they’re combined to make it fairly entertaining. The action isn’t particularly innovative, the comedy is mostly fine, and the horror is mainly limited to plot elements and gore gags, but…

Kids’ movies are hard to rate and review because children don’t have the same narrative requirements and predispositions as adults. The plotline can suddenly veer in a bizarre direction, and it will be easily absorbed by child audiences without so much as a blink. They understand who a character is based on what the movie tells them, and not necessarily what’s shown through that character’s actions. They are at once more forgiving of plot contrivances and yet also require greater hooks to keep them engaged with the film itself. This isn’t to say that kids’ movies are inherently worse or…

“Tetris” is one of those types of movies that’s very enjoyable while watching it but not especially memorable afterward. It’s good but disposable. There are some fun scenes and solid performances, and the story is compelling and mostly well told — even if the seams of the manufactured, heightened drama show multiple times — but if pressed to point to anything particular that stands out about Jon S. Baird’s film, I wouldn’t have much of an answer. That’s frustrating because Noah Pink’s screenplay is probably one of the best retellings that this corporate intrigue story could ever get. Taron Egerton…

Is the “John Wick” series the best (American) action franchise of all time? There are only four installments, so that may skew the grading a bit, but unlike other popular series like “Die Hard,” “Lethal Weapon,” “Terminator” and “Rambo,” it doesn’t contain any major misfires. Bringing the best reinvention of gunplay since John Woo’s Hong Kong films, with a melding of tactical ingenuity and visual flair, the series’ slightly convoluted story has found new ways to introduce amazing action sequences that consistently top what came before. Not only does “John Wick: Chapter 4” continue this tradition, but it’s arguably the…