In 1977, a film named Star Wars came out that sparked the world's imagination and ignited the spirits of filmgoers everywhere. Caught up in that fervor was Eddie Pasa, a one-year-old brought to the theater by his parents; as one of his earliest memories, he cites this as the starting point for his love of cinema. He has seen thousands of movies in the intervening years, finally finding an outlet for his opinions in 2010, when Dean Rogers graciously gave him a yearlong stint at The Rogers Revue. This was followed by a two-year post at Reel Film News with William Ayres. Eddie is a member of the Washington DC Area Film Critics Association (WAFCA) and a member of the Online Film Critics Society (OFCS).
There’s no question: Sam Raimi’s original Spider-Man trilogy laid the groundwork for what is now the unstoppable Marvel Cinematic Universe. He firmly established the aesthetic of the likable, flawed hero and the journey undertaken which teaches valuable lessons about who they are, even if those lessons come at a cost. Up to 2002, much of what we […]
Nicolas Cage. His personal life aside (we’re not here for that), the man is a legend. Say what you will about the man’s prolific output, his choice of whacked-out roles, or his ability to turn it up to 11, but he’s an Oscar-winning actor recognized the world over for his memorable performances. From being one […]
To be frank and honest, if there’s one thing Michael Bay can be counted on to do, it’s being consistent in trying to outdo himself visually and making mountains where molehills would suffice. His 136-minute remake of the 80-minute, same-titled Dutch film Ambulance goes on for way too long while throwing every possible stalling tactic and conflict […]
The Adam Project is one of those movies that makes you smile on every level. From the base plot that pairs 40-year-old Adam Reed (Ryan Reynolds) with his 12-year-old self (played by Walker Scobell) to the many different personal side roads they take on their way to their ultimate fates, this family sci-fi/action film delights and […]
Broken. Weary. This is the Bruce Wayne that Robert Pattinson and director/co-writer Matt Reeves have wrought into flesh and bone with The Batman, veering totally away from the “billionaire playboy” visage and straight into an all-consuming darkness with only a feeble glint of light ahead to give him – and any of Gotham City’s citizens – […]
Looking at the career trajectory of the Foo Fighters, it was inevitable that they’d eventually make a movie that would, all at once, showcase their musical chops while putting the band members in a supernatural situation beyond their control. With nods to movies like The Evil Dead, Airplane!, and Carrie in their videos, it seems only logical that a […]
When one thinks of director Roland Emmerich’s films, the mind floats instantly to scenes from 1996’s Independence Day. Namely, scenes featuring motherships firing green lasers at national and cultural landmarks; the lasers also spawn expanding fireballs capable of vaporizing any unlucky bastard in their blast radii. The latest of his disaster oeuvre, Moonfall, finds Emmerich, to use a […]
Okay. Y’all remember the NBC television series The Good Place by Michael Schur, which featured a group of misfits rallying around one of their own as their leader, shepherded by an older man who knew more about what was going on than they did? And through multiple lifetimes of hard knocks and lessons, they become their best […]
Author’s note: There will be no spoilers. Read on with confidence. “A man has an idea. The idea attracts others, like-minded. The idea expands. The idea becomes the institution.” Top Dollar (Michael Wincott), The Crow When Wes Craven’s Scream debuted in theaters in the winter of 1996, it was quite an anomaly. Firstly, who releases a non-Christmas-themed horror […]
Lana Wachowski’s got some things she’d like to say about how her and Lilly Wachowski’s The Matrix film series has been co-opted by people who simply didn’t get it. People who thought they could use the “red pill” and other aspects of the films for their own demented purposes with self-righteous idiocy. Make no mistake: Lana takes […]
Spider-Man: No Way Home cuts deep and doesn’t expect you to like everything about it, but this ethos is why the film is one of the MCU’s best, which is saying something after 27 films in 13 years.
1984’s Ghostbusters was an early example of the months-long hype process that seems to be de rigueur with most tentpole films these days. Y’know, where posters and teasers start whetting the audience’s appetite so far in advance of the final product’s release? Well before June 8, 1984, moviegoers started seeing this odd poster with the universal “NO” emblem holding […]
Phase Four of the MCU has seen a shift in tone to more personal stories, starting with Black Widow’s solo redemption mission which time-jumps back to the hours following Captain America: Civil War. Later came Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, a post-Blip film which incorporated bits and pieces of MCU hints to create a hero who steps […]
Halloween Kills works best with a repeat viewing. Firstly, to watch it expecting the sudden shocks of relentless gore and violence; second, to focus on what director/co-writer David Gordon Green is giving us with this entry in his Halloween trilogy. While still obviously a slasher movie, there’s something else going on here about the cycle of violence and […]
Not counting the non-Eon production Never Say Never Again, Daniel Craig is the longest-tenured James Bond at 15 years (which would have been 14 had it not been for the COVID-19 pandemic). With each of the five films in this era, we experienced a fresh take on the character, largely devoid of the pithy one-liners delivered […]
Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings introduces West to East, an incomparable marriage between the Marvel Cinematic Universe and grand Hong Kong sword-and-sorcery period action epics where honor, loyalty, and love are prized above all else. In color, form, and tone, Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings emulates some of the best […]
The tenth film in the DC Extended Universe (DCEU) hits like a sledgehammer wrapped in whoopee cushions and slathered in KY Jelly. Writer/director James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad is everything you hoped it would be – fast, loose, funny, and absolutely gory – with the bonus of not taking itself seriously. All of the DCEU films to […]
Right away, Jungle Cruise throws you off with an altered Magic Kingdom logo underscored with a repeated E-G-B-E-B-G note sequence which suddenly becomes all too familiar once more instrumentation is added. Then you find yourself wondering, “What the hell is Metallica’s ‘Nothing Else Matters’ doing as the musical score of a Disney flick?!” Everything about Jungle Cruise is aimed at discombobulation […]
It’s odd. Black Widow has been chosen to kick off Phase Four of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and it easily outclasses its predecessors by retaining its humanity while bearing more excitement than any of its predecessors. Seriously, this film is balls-to-the-wall action through and through, and it’s got a perfect mix of everything – stellar fights, excellent […]
There’s not a lot that The Fast Saga (the official series title according to F9‘s posters) can possibly do to go for broke anymore. Let’s see – they’ve raced cars against cars, planes, a tank, a submarine, and countless military and terrorist vehicles. The Toretto gang has hand-picked new family members from all over the globe, sometimes […]
The filmed version of In the Heights is an amped up, in-your-face, vibrant celebration of life. From the eye-popping choreography by Christopher Scott to the vivid photography by Alice Brooks capturing every nuance and bead of sweat dropped over a few of the hottest days in New York City, this film encompasses the greatest of our heart’s […]
Writer/director John Krasinski didn’t want to make a sequel to his 2018 smash A Quiet Place, claiming it was “a one-off,” something that needed no further advancement. However, he soon realized the possibilities of expanding the world of the film and the metaphors which rang so soundly throughout it. A Quiet Place wasn’t just about aliens tearing humanity […]
Author’s note: I have not seen Le Convoyeur, the film upon which Wrath of Man is based. With the exception of maybe one or three films in his 23-year career, I dig on Guy Ritchie movies. There’s nothing else like them. The way he moves his characters through seedy underworlds, his jukebox-style use of music, the world-layering plots […]
