“Mission Impossible: Fallout” Review (And Franchise Analysis)

Mission Impossible: Fallout, written and directed by Christopher McQuarrie, is the sixth installment of the M.I. franchise. As usual, it stars the ageless Tom Cruise as secret agent Ethan Hunt, the poor fellow who must jump out of airplanes, crash motorcycles, and hijack helicopters midair every five minutes or so. The plot involves something with nuclear weapons, but let’s be real, is anyone really paying that close attention to the story?

I’m posed with an interesting question when reviewing this film for a screenwriting blog. Clearly this film (or franchise) is not intended to be analyzed per the script, and if we were to do solely that, we would be doing a disservice to what the film is actually about. People don’t go into the theater for witty dialogue and an intelligent plot; they go in to see Tom Cruise run around from beautiful set piece to beautiful set piece and get into and out of danger. So in order to avoid this, I’ll be using this review to dissect how the film (and the MI franchise as a whole) manages to deliver the mindless action movie experience we want without insulting the intelligence of the audience. *SPOILERS AHEAD!*

“Leave No Trace” Film Review

Leave No Trace was written and directed by indie filmmaker Debra Granik, best known for 2010’s Winter’s Bone, and is based on a book by Peter Rock. It stars Ben Foster and Thomasin McKenzie as a father-daughter duo who live in the wilderness and are forced to reintegrate into society. Granik has launched the careers of several young actresses with her films before (Vera Farmiga and Jennifer Lawrence in their breakthrough roles). Can lightning strike a third time with young McKenzie? *Mild Spoilers Ahead!*

“Moonlight” Script Analysis: Conveying the Unseen

It’s a shame to me that 2016’s Moonlight will always be remembered as the film that “stole” Best Picture from La La Land, because it truly was the best film of that year (and one of the best films of the decade). Barry Jenkins’s direction, the gorgeous cinematography, and flawless acting add up to a stunning piece of art. But today we’re looking at the screenplay alone for its own merits and determining what makes it such a compelling work before any visual flair is added. Did social politics play a role in its big Oscar win? Maybe, maybe not. That doesn’t mean that it wasn’t a deserved win, because Barry Jenkins’ film is a masterpiece.

“Eighth Grade” Film Review (Spoiler Free!)

Eighth Grade is the writing and directing debut of comedian Bo Burnham, starring Elsie Fisher as a girl finishing her last week of middle school. There is perhaps nobody on the planet better equipped to tell the story of modern-day digital youth culture than Burnham, who grew up in the social media era and made his name by making YouTube videos. His stand-up work often explores themes of performance art and mass consumerism, with his latest Netflix special (Make Happy) serving as an apparent goodbye to the comedy scene and reflecting a desire to move away from the front of the camera. How does his first film represent the culmination of all he’s learned thus far in his already-long career?

“Sorry to Bother You” Film Review

Sorry to Bother You is the writing and directing debut of musician Boots Riley. It stars Lakeith Stanfield as “Cash,” a black telemarketer who adopts a white voice to get ahead, earning him favor with enigmatic boss Steve Lift (Armie Hammer). This raises questions of black identity, voiced especially by his activist girlfriend Detroit (Tessa Thompson), and sends Cash down a wild rabbit-hole. *SPOILERS AHEAD!*

“The Big Sick” Script Analysis: Breaking the Rom-Com Mold

Last year’s The Big Sick was written by Emily V. Gordon and Kumail Nanjiani, based on the true story of how they met and fell in love. It earned high critical praise, a strong box office performance, and an Oscar nomination for its screenplay. It is notable for its bending of the traditional “rules” for a romantic comedy, with its handling of themes and cultures not previously explored on screen (ie. arranged marriage) and its nontraditional plot structure. How does this script manage to break all the rules and get away with it? Let’s dig deeper and determine what makes the film work so well!

“Tag” Film Review

Tag stars Ed Helms, Jon Hamm, Jake Johnson, Hannibal Buress and Jeremy Renner as five grown adults playing the same game of tag for one month out of the year, every year, for nearly 30 years. It sounds like a ridiculous premise, but somehow it is based on a true story! Four of these friends team up to ambush the fifth (Jerry) at his wedding, as he has never been tagged and this might be the last year they get to play the game.

I went in to this film with almost zero expectations, knowing that this would be a low-brow comedy with obvious humor and cliched writing. And that’s what I got. But the nice thing about going in with zero expectations is that there’s nowhere to go but up, and this film was not the complete disaster I thought it would be!

The 2018 Midpoint Oscars

We’re halfway through the year, and while surely most of the awards favorites of 2018 have yet to be released, we can still recognize and celebrate what’s already been released! If the year ended today, what would be the winners of all the major awards?

Belated Film Review Round-Up

Although I try to see every movie worth seeing in a given calendar year, it’s inevitable that I’m going to miss a few new releases. Whether my personal schedule is too hectic to make a trip to the theaters, or the film is in limited release, or for whatever other reason, I may not get a review up in a reasonable time frame. And when I do eventually catch the film on VOD or rental or whatever, I have to decide whether or not to post a review at all. Rather than flesh out full reviews for each of them, I’m jotting down my abbreviated thoughts on each and condensing them into a single entry.

Enjoy my thoughts on Thoroughbreds, The Death of Stalin, The Incredibles 2, Love, Simon, and Hereditary!

My Top 10 Films of 2018 (So Far)

We are officially halfway through the year, and while there are many quality films yet to come, we’ve had plenty thus far that are worthy of praise. What have been my 10 favorite films of the year through six wonderful months of cinema?