Cinematic Monstrosities: Stop Letting the Snake Eat Its Own Tail (Finale)

It's time to stop making commercials for commercials.

"Pokémon: The Power of Us" review

A Reminder of why an entire generation once wanted to live in a Pokémon world.

Lightning Round: Holiday Displacement

One release too soon, another too late, the other just right for family gathering holidays.

"Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald" review

Never before have I been more starkly aware of the difference between enchanting and diverting.

Excelsior indeed, Mr. Lee, Excelsior Indeed: A Tribute to Stan "The Man"

Stan “The Man” Lieber was a great man and his presence, from the boisterous levels of energy he never failed to exude to the heartwarming and inspirational words he had to pick us up in a manner befitting a man who spent most of his life creating heroes for a living, will be sorely missed now more than ever in these tumultuous times that we live in.

Although it’s undeniably sad that he’s no longer with us, let’s not forget all of the good he’s brought into our lives and the reality that he left this world with status as a long lived legend that most of us could only dream of even mildly achieving.

Living out some rough and uncertain days of my life in current times and occasionally losing sight on what’s worth waking up the next day for, it’s astonishing to see a man like Stan Lee win as hard at the brutal game of life as he has, watching his creations entertain and inspire nearly 4 generations and becoming multi-billion dollar institutions of the modern cannon of global pop-culture.

I’ve never been shy to raise the issue of my love for the superhero genre; a genre that I believe to be so intricately tied to themes of human identity and perception that it can be tailored to tell just about every type of story that can be conceived.

While the seeds of that notion were undoubtedly planted within my toddler psyche by a fascination with the cool and flashy iconography of “Power Rangers” and “Batman” in the 90s, it was ultimately fostered by Lee’s legacy.

I remember watching episodes of “Spider-Man: The Animated Series” religiously on weekday afternoons and Saturday mornings, enraptured by the trials of Peter Parker and his continuity driven serialized adventures, which stacked together to weave a grand narrative of a man whose life was ever changing in relation to his double life as a hero.

The notion of having powers was awesome but one of the reasons why Peter Parker is my favorite character in all of fiction is because he’s perhaps the starkest reminder that no one gift can solve all of your problems and your worth in life is determined by how you roll with the punches, something you really learn to appreciate growing up facing a fair share of bullying because of who people think you are and should be.

That helped me learn a sense of optimism, bolstered by growing up reading my uncle’s old Silver Age “Fantastic Four” comics, where a family as dysfunctional as any other familial unit can still come together to love each other and explore cosmic wonders while protecting the innocent when it matters. To me, it was “Star Trek” before I even discovered “Star Trek.”

And I of course can’t ignore that watching “Spider-Man” on the big screen back in 2002 was the beginning of a love affair that I would carry for cinema and all of its possibilities that hasn’t disappeared to this very day and set me on the path I walked to become a film critic.

One of my biggest regrets in life will be that I never got to meet him, if only for just 3 minutes in person, to tell him just how much of my life he played an unintentional architect for. As sad as it is to know that his final few years may have been wrapped up in illness complications and legal drama however, I only hope that he knew peace in knowing how much pride he can take in a legacy of art that will most likely endure long after even I pass away one day.

Stan Lee didn’t just make heroes. As far as I’m concerned, he was a damn great one himself.

So long as his legacy thrives through his creations, his spirit will be as everlasting as the One Above All. 'Nuff Said.

"Liz and the Blue Bird" review

Just the pallet cleanser I needed before going in to "Harry Potter: Episode 2: Attack of the Johnny Depp Performance"

"The Girl in the Spider's Web" review

Less Nordic Noir and more Nordic TNT wannabe superhero Saturday afternoon action trash.

Holiday Season Rush: A Crit. Hit Update

As the Holiday season winds closer, bringing with it a slue of critical darlings and seasonal blockbuster shooting for the Oscars and vacation crowds, things are bound to shake up, and due to recent personal affairs that have already disrupted my intended schedule, I thought now would be a good moment to provide a bit of a progress report of what to expect from Crit. Hit before the dawn of 2019.


Universal Monstrosities = Despite a minor set back causing me to miss my intended deadline last week, the final entry of the series is coming along smoothly. Anticipate the close of our dive into this Hollywood trend next week.

Younger and Wiser =  The Feature on "Shadow Hunters" is currently on track for November 28, with the remainder of the series intended to roll out on a weekly basis until completion by early January.

As always, weekly reviews will continue to see publication on a weekly basis. I thank you for your understanding and hope for your continued readership.

"Bohemian Rhapsody" review

It will not rock you and you may wish it was fantasy.