Latest essay is up at 'The Federalist,' this one on 'Incedibles 2.' Aside: there seems to be a lot of, shall we say, competing opinions on this film. I'll say for my part I really liked it; it's not in the same league as the original, and it has some very notable problems (I've heard … Continue reading ‘Incredibles 2’ at the Federalist
Movies
Lazy Writing and Lack of Consequence
Something I’ve noticed about a lot of contemporary films is that they seem to have an almost childish inability to consider real-world consequences. I’m not talking about complex things that the average person wouldn’t think of; I’m talking major factors about how people behave or how the world works. Let me illustrate with two particularly … Continue reading Lazy Writing and Lack of Consequence
Thoughts on ‘Rampage’
Over the past few weeks I've been to see Steven Spielberg's film about a world bounded only by the imagination, the ultra-hyped latest entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and a Dwayne Johnson vehicle based on a cheesy arcade game. Guess which I think was the best. Go ahead; guess. Rampage is basically a sci-fi … Continue reading Thoughts on ‘Rampage’
Thoughts on Black Panther
Finally got out to see Black Panther while it was still in theaters. My reaction is definitely ‘good not great.’ It was…fine. There was a lot to like about it, though on the whole it wasn’t really that impressive to me as a film, or even compared to the rest of the Marvel universe. First … Continue reading Thoughts on Black Panther
Thoughts on ‘Ready Player One’
Today I went and saw ‘Ready Player One.’ It was more or less what I expected: shallow pop-culture porn, only not as good. I won’t say I didn’t enjoy parts of it, but the enjoyment was mostly of a very simple nature: ‘oh, hey, this is cool, oh, I recognize this.’ I think there is … Continue reading Thoughts on ‘Ready Player One’
Thoughts on the Greatest Showman
The other day I got out to see The Greatest Showman before it left theaters, which I’d been meaning to do for a little while. I’d known almost nothing about the film before, except that it was about P.T. Barnum and the founding of his circus. Then a month or so into its release I … Continue reading Thoughts on the Greatest Showman
Thoughts on ‘Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle’
Today my family and I finally got out to see Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, this season's sleeper hit. Having seen it, I absolutely can understand why it's found the success it has, because, yeah, it's really very good. The story has four teenagers - nerd, jock, popular girl, awkward girl - being sucked into a … Continue reading Thoughts on ‘Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle’
Noblesnake Reviews: The Land Before Time
First Video is up and running! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZRLbUg7lRM&t=10s
Noble Snake Announcement
And the first Noble Snake Reviews video will be... This film holds a special place in my heart. It was my favorite movie when I was little, and watching it now it holds up surprisingly well. There are a lot of rich ideas to sink my teeth into buried beneath the awesome animation and great … Continue reading Noble Snake Announcement
Dunkirk Thoughts
I saw 'Dunkirk' over the weekend. Briefly put, my reaction is that I thought it was an amazing film; probably one of Christopher Nolan's best (which is saying something). It was completely unlike any other war film I've seen, punishingly intense, and engaging all the way through. A few things to note: Though I thought … Continue reading Dunkirk Thoughts
Serpent's Den 