If this feels a bit contrived  —  and I certainly wouldn’t blame you if it did  —  that’s essentially the spirit of this achingly convivial sci-fi caper, directed by the team of Phil Lord and Christopher Miller (Clone High, The Lego Movie, and the Spiderverse films), from a screenplay by Drew Goddard, based on a novel by Andy Weir (The Martian). As with the previous adaptation of Weir’s work, it’s a film that gleefully presents basic scientific principles and logic clumsily sewn together with a story and outlook that feels very much like something an enterprisingly affable 15-year-old might come up with while daydreaming in Physics class. 

First Man attempts to bring color to a man who embodied the dull grays of the very surface to which he will forever be anchored.

Blade Runner 2049 is the quintessential definition of epic.

Blade Runner 2049 offers its own memorable characters, technology, visuals and jaw-dropping sequences.

Song to Song requires a hearty dose of Dramamine and a bar within quick walking distance of the theater.

La La Land is a far cry from the polished gem of Chazelle’s previous effort.

Like Schindler’s List peppered with lewd jokes every 15 minutes or so.

The potential long-term consequences of the choices we make come under the microscope in Derek Cianfrance‘s latest film, The Place Beyond the Pines. Luke Glanton (Ryan Gosling), a struggling motorcycle stunt rider, finds out that a past lover (Eve Mendes) has a baby boy that he fathered the year before. He decides that he has to […]

The term “The Ides of March” refers, in modern parlance, to an impending doom. It’s most common use is in the William Shakespeare play Julius Caesar who recounts a seer warning Caesar in advance of his assassination to “beware the Ides of March.” In that case it was simply a reference to the middle of […]

Next up for me was Lars and the Real Girl and it was a great surprise. It’s a dark comedy that really is more drama that it is comedy. Ryan Gosling is exceptional as its title character. Anyone who’s unsure about his acting chops needs to look no farther than his portrayal of Lars. You’ll feel every […]