Author: Rob Dean

“Nope” not only cements Jordan Peele as a modern master of horror but makes a very compelling argument that he’s the heir apparent to Steven Spielberg. That sounds like pure hyperbole, but it was all I could think of while Peele’s latest movie unfolded. It may be hard to think of Spielberg directing something like “Get Out,” but he began his career with simple TV movies and eventual horror entries like “Duel.” The ability to arouse tension and fear, and not just startle people with jump scares and orchestral stings, reveals an artist assured in his craft and storytelling abilities.…

It’s always curious what blasphemous association your brain will make with a movie while you’re watching it. “The Gray Man” is very much a product of the post-9/11 global security world, and yet it kept reminding me of all sorts of thrillers from the ‘70s, action comedies of the ‘90s and even a few meta-commentary films from the early ‘00s. That makes it sound sloppy and derivative, when in fact, it simply figures out a way to cleverly stitch together multiple tropes with fun dialogue, a committed cast and some impressive spectacle. It’s unlikely that this Netflix movie from Anthony…

A cinematic assault on the senses can be an invigorating experience, especially when implemented by a talented filmmaker. “Everything Everywhere All at Once,” “Mind Game” and “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas” are just a few examples of an artist packing each frame with a multitude of themes, visuals, sounds, story and more that envelopes audiences in a tidal wave of overstimulation. However, if not handled properly, the movie can turn out rushed and overstuffed — its lack of focus undercutting its valiant attempts at saying so much. “Thor: Love and Thunder” isn’t a bad film. In fact, most of…

In 2004, Bravo aired the five-part special “The 100 Scariest Movie Moments,” which featured filmmakers, actors and other artists discussing their favorite genre films and sequences. In that special, Guillermo del Toro discusses how adults forget exactly how terrifying it is to be a kid. Clearly espousing beliefs that formed the tonal bedrocks for “Kronos,” “The Devil’s Backbone” and “Pan’s Labyrinth,” del Toro points out how childhood is fraught with horror due to physical and social limitations inherent to maturation. While the sense of discovery can be exhilarating, at a certain point, one’s ignorance becomes so obvious as to induce…

“Elvis” director Baz Luhrmann has never really been my cup of tea. Though I dug “Strictly Ballroom” and “Romeo + Juliet,” his other works have failed to jive with me. Nevertheless, his talent and energy are discernible even through the fog of my distaste. This is an artist with an established aesthetic, cultivated from studying the history of film to engineer his own particular imagery and storytelling modes. “The Great Gatsby” was a garish mess, but at least it was memorable while trying new ways to visually tell a familiar story. Though “Elvis” starts off suggesting another whirlwind (but hollow)…

The most useless phrase in the English language is, “It could be worse.” While it’s important to recognize the good aspects of life, it’s also worth noting that it could always be worse. Don’t believe me? Picture the worst scenario… and then add diarrhea and/or bears. See, it could always be worse. The fact is that the vast majority of movies are bad, and with over 2,500 films produced every year, there are bound to be failures. This makes reviewing and rating titles like “Spiderhead” awkward because, in the scope of all movies, it performs far above the average. But…

I don’t particularly like “Jurassic Park.” Perhaps that statement is enough to invalidate anything else I’m about to write, but I ask for you to please read on. Though I appreciated the incredible effects, the sense of wonder that Steven Spielberg instilled and Jeff Goldblum being Jeff Goldblum, my experience was hindered by the fact that I had previously read the Michael Crichton novel on which the film is based. The book is filled with the author’s usual mix of inane technobabble and close-if-you-squint science, but it also had another terrific feature: lots of murder and gore. “Jurassic Park” the…

If it weren’t for its various bunglings in execution, Marvel would receive a lot more praise for its ambitions. The Disney subsidiary is not some scrappy studio defying the odds to revolutionize storytelling as we know it, as MCU projects have access to the top budgets and talents in basically all departments. But there is still a gauntlet thrown to each new project from the House That Kevin Feige Built. Every new title, be it a movie or a Disney+ show, has to work as its own entity while also tying into a larger whole that is innovative in visuals…

“You either die a hero or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain.” It’s probably bad form, or at least horribly clichéd, to start off this piece with the far-too-often quoted line, but it’s on my mind as “Stranger Things” begins to enter its home stretch. In this somehow continuing age of prestige television, there aren’t many shows that maintain their quality and audience from beginning to end. “Breaking Bad” and “The Wire” come to mind as examples, while “Game of Thrones,” “Lost” and “The Walking Dead” represent the norm in terms of a decrease in accolades…

Sequels have to walk a thin line between giving people what they liked in the previous entry and adding to it in a way that feels original and naturally expansive. Rebootquels, which “Top Gun: Maverick” certainly is, have to remind people why they loved the original property and allow for time to march on without also retroactively ruining said property. But there comes a moment in the vast majority of these rebootquels where the nodding becomes so omnipresent and insistent that it morphs into aggressive yet hollow headbanging. “Top Gun: Maverick” is 131 minutes of retreading in the vein of…