Author: Rob Dean

Why is everything so much more intense during the holidays? Even for those who don’t celebrate, there is still this charged air around everything. This is why Shane Black likes to set many of his action movies during Christmas: There’s already a sense of heightened emotions that people experience and that audiences bring into the theater, making the events of the films that much bigger and bolder. Not only does the subversion of action in these frantic holiday times hit harder, but so do the quieter, emotional beats around love. “Violent Night” understands all this and weaponizes it perfectly in…

The throwback energy of “The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special” is appreciated. In the 1970s and ‘80s, there were a plethora of tie-ins where franchises would churn out some Christmas special, complete with guests and musical numbers. This is how the infamous “Star Wars Holiday Special” was born with its “fun” Harvey Korman comedy bits, the debut of Boba Fett and some legitimately bonkers performances from Diahann Carroll. (Despite George Lucas’ best efforts, you can find this on the internet, and if you haven’t yet, you must seek it out and experience it.) That is presumably the same spirit…

I can’t exactly put my finger on what “Strange World” is lacking, but it just feels like something is missing. Directed by Don Hall and Qui Nguyen (who also wrote the script), the Disney animated film has a fun story, engaging themes, excellent designs, wondrous animations, strong humor and some nice adventure moments… and yet it doesn’t feel as excellent as that description would suggest. “Strange World” could probably use a little extra oomph in its story, action and comedy, though I would be hard-pressed to say what exactly those changes would be. It’s an odd phenomenon but accurate, nonetheless.…

Life is endlessly complicated and often disappointing, which makes adapting true stories such a difficult venture. There isn’t as much setup and payoff in our actual world as there is in the structure of films. People are rarely that articulate, witty and/or profound when speaking in the moment, and the relationships between folks tend to be slightly more nuanced than streamlined friendships and romances. “Devotion” attempts to challenge these notions by utilizing more complex characters in its account of real events. Unfortunately, the rest of the story is still crafted like classic Hollywood tales, which makes this a film that…

I try to tell myself that remakes, reboots and sequels can’t affect the original film that I love, but I still find myself bracing for the worst when I go to see that new iteration or entry of something that I deeply enjoyed. That trepidation was with me as I sat down to watch “Glass Onion,” the sequel to “Knives Out.” Rian Johnson’s 2019 whodunnit was a tightly scripted showcase for some extraordinary acting that produced a tight comedic mystery. But could “Glass Onion” possibly return to the world of the preposterously accented Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) navigating a crime…

Apparently, it’s already holiday movie season. The opening salvo of assaults by Lifetime movies featuring women from the big city falling for simple men from small towns is already underway, which means that more respectable studio fare is not far behind. Case in point, “Spirited” from director Sean Anders (who co-wrote with John Morris) is a retelling of “A Christmas Carol” that’s set in modern times but with a twist: The Ghost of Christmas Present is now more of a character pursuing his own arc (alongside the curmudgeonly Scrooge figure). It’s a musical comedy starring Will Ferrell and Ryan Reynolds,…

“The Menu” manages to do so many things so well that it borders on suspicious. It’s hilarious without ever undercutting the weight of the story or the humanity of its characters. The subjects on which it’s commenting feels immediate yet timeless (which is probably a condemnation of our society more than anything else). It is beautifully shot but alternates between styles of cinematography, all without ever seeming discordant. And the dialogue is meticulously crafted while still feeling natural, helping sell that aforementioned comedy and pathos, and is delivered by some great actors working at the peak of their talents. In…

With “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” writer/director Ryan Coogler managed to not only find a way to get the best-case scenario out of an impossibly bleak situation but to do so in a way that exceeds expectations and confronts those dark conditions head-on. It is impossible to talk about “Wakanda Forever” without discussing the real-life tragedy of “Black Panther” star Chadwick Boseman. Coogler and co-writer Joe Robert Cole know this and embrace that moment fully in the film, which finds the MCU actually dealing with the raw, emotional complexity of death. There is, of course, the sadness of someone you love…

“The Banshees of Inisherin” is about two old friends who live on a remote island off the Irish coast who, one day in 1923, cease to be friends when Colm (Brendan Gleeson) realizes that he doesn’t want Pádraic (Colin Farrell) in his life anymore. Meanwhile, the inhabitants of the small idyllic island are stirring with the news, as there’s not much else happening save for a faraway war, the nightly drunken goings-on at the pub, and whatever shenanigans are found by the unnecessarily vigilant patrolman Jonjo (Pat Shortt) and his village-idiot son Dominic (Barry Keoghan). Pádraic’s sister Siobahn (Kerry Condon)…

When did superhero movies get so boring? Having crazy aerial fights between a bird-person and a would-be god should be exciting, shouldn’t it? There should be some feeling of spectacle in seismic explosions, an army of the undead marching forward or even just some person growing giant before our eyes. Instead, at least in “Black Adam,” it all just feels rote. The reasoning for the disconnect, of course, is emotion; great filmmakers and scripts find ways to make the smallest action resonate in the biggest ways, while inferior projects turn what should be awe-inspiring into ineffectual tedium. To be fair,…