Author: Rob Dean

Since its launch with “Iron Man,” the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) has shown that one of its greatest strengths is self-awareness. The makers of these works know that there’s an inherent silliness to everything, but there’s also sincerity and charm in superhero stories. This has led to the overused script tic of undercutting emotional beats with a quip or hanging a lampshade on exposition to preempt criticism. That self-awareness has also traveled to the Disney+ shows thus far. “WandaVision” used the knowledge of how Marvel fans consume entertainment by looking for clues and hidden meanings, while “The Falcon and the…

While many cinephiles decry the increasing homogeny of blockbuster aesthetics, there has been a rise in visually stylistic movies in other corners of the film world. An assortment of titles from the independent, foreign and mid-tier budget scenes have come along in the past two decades with a strong eye for dynamic imagery that is a major differentiator from box office juggernauts that tend to use grays, browns and color grading to make their pictures seem realistic (but also uninspired). Based on previous works found in ‘50s French New Wave, ‘70s Giallo and ‘80s neon arthouse movies, this new crop…

“It’s the hope that kills you,” is a well-known expression about how defeats are made that much worse when people fool themselves into thinking there was ever the possibility of a good outcome. Movies can be bad for all sorts of reasons and at varying degrees, to the point that it becomes an endurance test for the viewer. There’s certainly truth to the adage that it’s better to be a terrible film than an okay one, as audiences are more likely to remember the bad movie because at least it tried to do something and fell on its face. However,…

2001’s “The Fast and the Furious” is a fairly forgettable, shameless rip-off of “Point Break” complete with plot points, dialogue and characters lifted from that film’s world of criminal surfers and put into the world of criminal street racers. 20 years later, the series’ tenth installment (if you’re including “Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw,” and you should) is not only its own unique movie but has enough stuff going on to overshadow most other action franchises thanks to a pretty evident why-the-hell-not attitude. None of the characters approach even shadows of actual people, the events of the plot…

During a creative writing course in college, I turned in a short story that was based on true events in my life. When it came time for my classmates to review it, they pointed out the number of tropes it fell into. I countered by saying that’s actually how it happened, but they raised a good point: just because something is real doesn’t mean it won’t come across as clichéd. “Fatherhood” is based on the blog (and book) by Matt Logelin about his experiences raising his daughter alone following the death of his wife. Some aspects of the story have…

Remember how odd it was in “Back to the Future Part II” when Marty McFly was suddenly given a new personality trait where he couldn’t stand to be called “chicken”? It was a strange addition to the character that was seemingly only invented for specific plot conveniences and to provide the protagonist with some form of an arc across the sequels, but in doing so, it created a weird rift between the new Marty and the hero that audiences enjoyed in the original movie. A lot of that happens in “The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard,” with Ryan Reynolds’ Michael Bryce changing…

Like any project, a movie has a finite amount of attention and energy devoted to it. No matter the budget or how accommodating studios may be, filmmakers inevitably must prioritize the aspects of their productions that they deem most important to get right to make the entire undertaking a success. Despite being based on pre-existing and generally well-received material that’s been adapted by its creators for the big screen, “In the Heights’” most notable flaws are found in the storytelling and character motivations. Perhaps trusting that the source material’s architects, Quiara Alegría Hudes and Lin-Manuel Miranda, had already nailed the…

All three MCU shows, including the latest Disney+ series, “Loki,” have been focused on how the present is ultimately a clash between the past and the future. “WandaVision” literalized this with a bubble universe existing in sitcoms past while forces worked to establish the future roles of the Scarlet Witch and Vision (in Cataract form). “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier” focused on that tension via the idea of legacy, where Sam Wilson had to reconcile the plans that Steve Rogers had for him as the next Captain America alongside a history of a country too content to mistreat Black…

Nitpicking of entertainment has always been around, probably since the dawn of storytelling, but it seems to have gained far wider acceptance and indulgence thanks to the internet, with countless videos and clickbait dedicated to exposing plot holes. Make no mistake, large plot contrivances and jarring inconsistencies can certainly derail a movie, but if a viewer is focused on those missteps, then the filmmakers have already lost their interest anyways. 2018’s “A Quiet Place” received some of this on its release, with people poking holes in the various rules that it established, but for the most part, such minor grievances…

An easy way of pitching a movie is comparing it to those that came before it. For example, 1987’s “The Monster Squad” is best described as “The Goonies” meets the Universal Monsters. Taking two known ideas and pairing them together gives a concise picture of the tone and story while inadvertently making it sound much less original. This is true of Zack Snyder’s new movie “Army of the Dead,” which is a mash-up of multiple titles, including “Kelly’s Heroes,” “Ocean’s 11,” “John Carpenter’s Ghosts of Mars” and the “Left 4 Dead” video game franchise. However, these familiar strains make some…