Demolition Man (1993)::rating::3.5::rating::3.5::rating::3.5

F ew movies have blended smart and stupid with the meticulous alchemy of Demolition Man. A careless eye might take a casual look at the clichéd poster and trailers and see another idiotic blockbuster. And yes, Sly Stallone blows shit up and delivers cute one-liners con brio. At the same time, a streak of cleverness runs through Demolition…

ByTodd WoffordAugust 30, 20220Comments

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Back to the Future (1985)::rating::5

G reat movies often have a way of finding us at just the right time in our lives. We discover them when we're meant to. I found Back to the Future as a dorky little nine-year-old boy. Between the special effects, the music, and the one-liners ("What's with the life preserver, kid?"), I was instantly hooked.…

ByTodd WoffordAugust 24, 20220Comments

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Elvis (2022)::rating::3

E lvis Presley occupies such massive and precious real estate in pop culture mythology, you could build several movies from his life and still not cover all the surface area. As an American icon, Elvis simultaneously represents our greatest greatness and deepest of tragedies: Look long within his legend, and you'll find heartbreaking hints of…

ByTodd WoffordAugust 21, 20220Comments

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Prey (2022)::rating::4.5

P rey is the Predator prequel we never knew we needed. That first film was a campy, mud-soaked masterpiece of 80s mega-violence. Everything since has followed the formula of the Jurassic Park franchise: The second installment was...okay, I guess. All the other sequels and spin-offs sucked deep-fried donkey ding-a-lings. Going into this peculiar prequel, I would've been content…

ByTodd WoffordAugust 18, 20220Comments

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Army of Darkness (1992)::rating::3.5

O ver the course of its 81 minutes, Sam Raimi's Army of Darkness swells like a tidal wave of unadulterated goofiness. To enjoy any of it, even just a little, the viewer must allow themselves to become drenched. If you'll allow, Army's puerile one-liners and dazzling practical effects will carry you away in a current of knuckle-headed…

ByTodd WoffordAugust 16, 20220Comments

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Star Trek: First Contact (1996)::rating::4

S tar Trek: First Contact proves just how well people can work with their backs against the wall. The previous installment, Generations, had managed to disappoint critics and die-hard fans alike. Even that film's monumental teaming of nerd icons (Captains Kirk and Picard) fell curiously flat. There were rumblings that the Next Generation crew couldn't carry a film,…

ByTodd WoffordAugust 8, 20220Comments

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Primer (2004)::rating::3

I f you strapped me to a lie detector, and I told you I had a firm grasp of Primer's plot, that needle would be twitching like crazy. The dialogue is so slathered in technical jargon it makes Star Trek sound like Sesame Street. Add an elliptical plot structure and occasional dips in sound quality, and you've got the…

ByTodd WoffordAugust 1, 20220Comments

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The Gray Man (2022)::rating::2.5

W ith its frantic action scenes and brawny stunt work, The Gray Man could be an insecure cousin to the Bourne, Bond, and John Wick flicks. As an inferior product, Gray overcompensates by being bigger, busier, and louder, all in the vain hopes you won't notice how mediocre it really is. Put another way: That's a really soft two-and-a-half…

ByTodd WoffordJuly 29, 20220Comments

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12 Monkeys (1995)::rating::3.5

N o film does a better job of conveying the grimy, soulless future that awaits us than Terry Gilliam's 12 Monkeys. In 2035, a biblical plague has torn through humanity like a reaper's scythe. The battered tatters of our species cower in underground caves, wallowing and grumbling incoherently. Everyone looks covered in a layer of soot,…

ByTodd WoffordJuly 28, 20220Comments

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Nope (2022)::rating::3.5

W ith Nope, writer-director Jordan Peele delivers a bizarre, fascinating hybrid movie: On one hand, this is a burly sci-fi spectacle, with obvious echoes of Close Encounters, War of the Worlds, and Signs. Peele balances this admirable ambition with flourishes of B-movie silliness, dosing his horror film with the infectious humor of Tremors and the macabre whimsy of…

ByTodd WoffordJuly 23, 20220Comments