Little more than a thinly-structured attempt at forcing tears out of you, “Me Before You” is a testament to the worst kind of romantic movie. Rather than develop characters, a story, or a point to all this, Thea Sharrock simply throws on the soft filter and has Emilia Clarke make doe eyes while wiggling her […]
Dagger Movie Night — “Alice Through the Looking Glass”: How Many Colors Can We Put On-Screen At Once?
There is a scene in “Alice Through the Looking Glass” where the plot suddenly jumps to find Alice locked up in a mental institution. There’s a little hope that the contrived plot up to that point has been an elaborate setup to show that Alice has been having a “St. Elsewhere” moment. Alas, that’s not […]
Dagger Movie Night: The Witch – Atmospheric Horror That Will Set You on Edge
“We ourselves were not capable to understand, nor able to withstand the mysterious delusions of the Powers of Darkness and Prince of the Air; but were for want of Knowledge in ourselves, and better Information from others, prevailed with to take up with such Evidence against the Accused, as on further consideration, and better Information, […]
Dagger Movie Night: “Captain America: Civil War” — Despite a Large Cast, a Fun and Engaging Outing
“Captain America: Civil War” (i.e. Avengers 3) addresses a major issue in the Marvel Cinematic Universe—namely, there are too many damn characters in these films! The casual fan will struggle to remember who everyone is, why they are there, or really why they should care. At some point, the Avengers had to be broken down […]
Dagger Movie Night: “The Jungle Book” — Young Actor, Overabundance of CGI Struggles to Deliver Bare Neccesities
Do we really need another live action version of a classic children’s story? No matter what you think, there are several in production, and “The Jungle Book” is the first. Director Jon Favreau knew this film would be a challenge when he accepted the job, and credit where it is due, he does a decent […]
Dagger Movie Night: “Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice” — Franchise-Building Defeats Story in Another Miss for Zack Snyder
For years, the debate has been whether director Zack Snyder actually possesses the acumen to be a Hollywood power player. Plucked from the relative obscurity of the advertising industry to helm the “Dawn of the Dead” remake in 2004, there has been scant evidence to date that he has the ability to satisfactorily command a […]
Dagger Movie Night: “Mojave” – Even Murderous Desert Vision Quests Need a Point
If ever there was a movie that catered to pseudo-intellectual junkies who lacked the actual insight to tie together their thoughts, this would be it. There is an argument to be made that this whole film is a self-aware joke concerning the seriousness of Hollywood writers and actors. More likely, it’s just a crappy movie […]
Dagger Movie Night: “Anomalisa” — Patience-Testing Existentialism, with Puppets
Charlie Kaufman is an acquired taste, and in this case, that taste may be too much for most viewers. This isn’t an easily accessible film—even for those of us that enjoy esoteric think-pieces. The confusing jumbling of meaning and imagery requires a few viewings to “appreciate.” Is it a bad movie? No, but it certainly […]
