Author: Rob Dean

It’s certainly fair to bemoan the glut of franchises that are dominating Hollywood these days, if for no other reason than that they’re crowding out more original films. However, “Scream VI” makes a strong argument that when the movies are this entertaining and well done, they can’t simply be waived off or easily condemned. The many sequels of the ‘80s and ‘90s found diminishing returns (and shrinking budgets) that led to increasingly worse movies as the various series went along, but recent franchises like “Scream,” “Fast & Furious” and “Creed” (to name a few) offer compelling evidence that this is…

Forced wit is a special kind of awful. Not that Guy Ritchie’s new film, “Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre,” doesn’t have some genuinely clever moments and other highlights, but when there’s a blatant attempt at winking to show off just how witty everyone involved is, it lands so flat and awkward. Ritchie’s last film, “Wrath of Man,” was an incredible action/thriller type that showcased great gunwork, excellent characterization and an intriguing plot. “Operation Fortune” finds the filmmaker returning to the style of “The Man From U.N.C.L.E.,” meaning a lot of banter and a super-casual approach to the type of espionage…

It’s interesting how the team behind the “Creed” movies has been able to create echoes of the “Rocky” franchise while injecting enough new elements to make them stand apart. Much like the original “Rocky,” the first “Creed” finds an unexpected pugilist suddenly thrust into the spotlight for a title bout while confronting his own issues and insecurities. The 2018 sequel, in shades of “Rocky II,” has that same fighter having to deal with unfinished business in the ring while also wrestling with serious drama in his personal life with the woman he loves. And now with “Creed III,” in an…

As I watched a man slowly get his leg devoured by a strung-out bear, I couldn’t help but think, “This should be more exciting.” “Cocaine Bear” is a great pitch for a B-level animal attack movie along the lines of 1980’s “Alligator” or 1978’s “Piranha” — and there are times when the film, directed by Elizabeth Banks, reaches those frantic heights of sordid glory — but a strange sense of pacing and a bit too much restraint holds it back from being a true cult classic in the making. The intersection of the ‘80s, drugs and carnage should be a…

“Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” is an odd film, and not because most of it takes place in a dimension outside space and time. Director Peyton Reed’s movie continues the lighthearted-comedy streak of the previous two entries yet simultaneously attempts to instill very dramatic stakes. The setting is a dazzling new land full of weird creatures, yet none of it is especially spectacular, and while the quips come fast and the story is always moving, every minute of its two-hour runtime is felt. The third “Ant-Man” installment certainly has some winning elements, including strong performances, a couple of cool designs,…

Charm is a difficult quality to quantify. Like most subjective elements of art, it’s something that resonates with certain audiences. “Somebody I Used To Know” is an incredibly charming film thanks to personable leads, relatable moments and fun sequences, but it would be hard to qualify those aspects into something more concrete. In that way, it’s a lot like how we feel when we fall for someone; it’s that ineffable sensation that the other person makes us experience. Director Dave Franco, who co-wrote with star Alison Brie, manages to take that amorphous feeling of attraction and imbue it into a…

When a critic releases a list of their “top” films, it doesn’t necessarily mean “best” or even “favorite.” It’s that amorphous area that occupies all of these things generally but none of them specifically. Are there better technically crafted pictures than the ones below? Probably. Are there other titles that touched audiences but left me feeling cold? Definitely. Yet these are the films that I will think about the most moving forward and that manage to move me with their earnestness and craft. They are all audacious projects that tackle some big subjects and difficult situations and come out the…

“The Whale” isn’t really about obesity — or, at least, it’s interested in much more than those matters. Still, it’s important to address the elephant in the room (pun mildly intended) when it comes to discussing my reaction to the film. To the surprise of no one, this film-obsessed kid whose review you are currently reading is fat. In my defense (and shame), I wasn’t always this way. The “how” isn’t really a question — too much bad food, not enough exercise — but the “why” is where things get complicated. It’s also the beginning of a link that I…

One of the most common issues for films is the inability to know what kind of story they are telling. “American Murderer” feels like it could easily slip into more of a procedural mode, following the behavior of wanted criminal Jason Derek Brown leading up to the armed robbery and murder of an armored car driver and the profile that FBI agents gathered about their suspect in the days following the act. But its non-linear narrative and abandonment of that deliberative form of storytelling suggest a greater interest in doing a character study of Brown. That internal struggle between the…

What can you say about a man’s life? That’s been the question posed to millions for eons. Whether it’s a eulogy, an obituary, a biography or something else, how do you sum up the totality of someone’s existence? That wide gamut of emotions, a lifetime of experiences, their passions, their grievances… it’s too much. Do you take a snapshot of a specific moment that represents their whole being? Or do you revisit multiple moments that shaped the person that others came to know? “Bardo: False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths” attempts to encapsulate a fictional character by examining the…