Hey everyone! It’s no great secret that the internet loves hyperbole. Most movies are either total disasters or masterpieces these days and yet I am still surprised when I see that reaction to a movie I think is a decidedly mixed bag. This is how I felt about the new film Wonka. In fact, when I told a friend I had mixed feelings on it they responded ‘oh that’s too bad.’ Again, mixed feelings. I thought some things were fantastic in it and other aspects didn’t work for me. I’ll say it again- MIXED. Let’s talk about the strengths first. My biggest takeaway with Wonka is I think I’m finally squa ..read more

Today I want to give my quick thoughts on the latest Christmas comedy to hit Freevee app, which is a spinoff of Amazon prime. It is one of the many holiday films I am reviewing as part of Hallmarkies Podcast and one of my favorites of this initial batch for 2023. It’s interesting because usually the family shenanigans brand of holiday film isn’t my favorite (not a big fan of The Family Stone for instance) but this one stayed just grounded enough to be able to relate with and kept the characters likable enough to enjoy the experience. In the movie Robbie Amell plays a man who after he tells hi ..read more

This month’s blind spot is an interesting one because it’s not only checking off a classic film off of my watch list but it’s my introduction to an entire genre. It’s the first spaghetti western I’ve ever seen. I have never seen a film by director Sergio Leone, and I don’t believe any other westerns made by Italian directors. Today we are looking at perhaps the most famous spaghetti western- A Fistful of Dollars. This movie is a pretty iconic one, a film I can recognize the famous scenes even though I hadn’t seen it. In particular the final duel where the Stranger has the metal plate on and t ..read more

Some that are  new to my writing might not know that my whole journey as a critic started with reviewing the Disney Canon. I had torn my ACL and needed something to occupy my time so leading up to Big Hero 6 I reviewed all the Disney animated classics. This is why my site was originally called 54Disneyreviews. Once I finished that project I enjoyed writing about film so much I decided to keep it up and eventually that expanded to youtube, podcasts etc and my whole life changed. I mention this history only to say that an animated Disney musical that pays homage to 100 years of filmmaking s ..read more

Hey everyone! I hope you are all doing well and are keeping busy like I am. These last few weeks have been very intense with daily screenings (sometimes more) plus everything I’m trying to keep up with at Hallmarkies Podcast. Needless to say it has been overwhelming and I have a ton of movies to catch you all up on. In an ideal world I’d be able to do longer reviews on all of these films but there just isn’t time. So here goes: POOR THINGS Poor Things is the latest film from Yorgos Lanthimos and like all of his films it is definitely not going to be for everyone. It’s a new take on the Franke ..read more

Over the years as a film critic my relationship with superhero movies has been an interesting one. In many ways I’m a defender of the genre and find those who dismiss them as not being cinema to be absurd. However, the fandoms surrounding the popcorn films often make them hard to stand up for or engage with and this goes for both DC and Marvel. It also doesn’t help that the films, outside of animation, have been largely weak for a while now. Sure we get an occasional Guardians of the Galaxy vol 3 but most are underwhelming at best. The latest to join this club is The Marvels from the MCU. To s ..read more

When I say I cover all things holiday over at Hallmarkies Podcast well I  mean what I say and today’s review is proof of this! Opening this week we have 2 wildly different Christmas themed movies but I enjoyed both and both take their holiday origins to spark creativity and joy in their own ways. JOURNEY TO BETHLEHEM- Before I give my review I had the opportunity to interview the director, Adam Anders, after I saw the film. He was also on the creative team behind Glee and High School Musical so it’s a fun interview. Give it a listen! I wouldn’t be surprised if Journey to Bethlehem isn’t ..read more

Hey everyone! We are getting into the busy season both for my Christmas movie coverage at Hallmarkies Podcast and awards season for regular moviegoing. For this upcoming week I have a screening almost every night and in the case of tomorrow I could see 2 movies if I was interested in the new Hunger Games prequel. Crazy busy! Before all that starts I wanted to update on a few of the films I’ve seen lately: THE KILLER- I think one’s experience with The Killer will have a lot to do with expectations. If you are expecting a David Fincher masterpiece than you might be disappointed. If you are expe ..read more

If you’ve followed my content for any amount of time you know I’m a bit of a wimp when it comes to horror movies. Nevertheless, I try each year for blind spot to expand my palate and watch an iconic horror film I’ve missed. For the most part that has been a positive experience but I have to admit this year’s selection, Trick ‘R Treat was not one of those moments. It’s not just that the movie was too gory for my taste but its narrative is scattered with too many characters to become invested in thereby, making the scares less chilling than they would be for characters I know and love. To begin ..read more

Originally I wanted to write solo reviews for both The Holdovers and Priscilla but I am running out of time and the thought occurred to me ‘maybe a comparison of the 2 might be interesting?’ After all, why did one work for me so well and the other was so disappointing? Let’s talk about it! Now they aren’t an exact comparison because The Holdovers is an original screenplay with fictional characters and Priscilla is based on the memoir of a real person Priscilla Presley. But they are both character pieces and both set in the 70s and both about young adults so they aren’t complete opposites. The ..read more