Bad Times at the El Royale (2018)::rating::3::rating::3::rating::3

B ad Times at the El Royale plays like Quentin Tarantino in third gear. In fact, just call it Reservoir Dogs on Beautiful Lake Tahoe. And while this film coolly copies the detached hipness and fragmented structure of Tarantino's early work, it's missing the ballsy, fuck-you attitude that made those movies so grippingly watchable. It's…

ByTodd WoffordOctober 13, 20180Comments

Latest The Archive

First Man (2018)::rating::3.5

"Y our daddy’s going to the moon.” Janet Armstrong tells her son, in a voice shaking with pride and panic. “Okay.” The boy shrugs. “Can I go play now?” This exchange highlights the premise of First Man: Neil Armstrong, and the other astronauts who furthered the American ideal by reaching further and climbing higher…

ByTodd WoffordOctober 13, 20182Comments

The Archive The Drink Menu

Get Lost-ria in the Wines of Austria::rating::0

T wice a month, I will pair an all-time classic movie with a few killer bottles of wine. The vino will tie to the film, in some shape or form. For this first time around the track, I've decided to review the classic mystery, The Third Man. Its entire plot takes place in Vienna, Austria, so…

ByTodd WoffordOctober 11, 20180Comments

The Podcast

Episode 1 – We Don’t Need Another Hero::rating::0

For our first podcast, Travis Budd and I discuss our thoughts on Venom, and superheroes in general. We also enjoy some delicious red wine!

ByTodd WoffordOctober 11, 20180Comments

Greatest The Archive

The Third Man (1949)::rating::5

I n the immediate aftermath of World War II, Vienna stood as a nexus where soot-stained cynicism met and mingled with nefarious opportunity. Like most of Europe, Austria struggled to rebuild after the destruction of the Third Reich. Industry was hobbled; food and medicine became scarce. The Third Man, one of the most beautiful and…

ByTodd WoffordOctober 9, 20181Comment

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A Star is Born (2018)::rating::4

T he premise of A Star is Born dates all the way back to the first decade of talking pictures. Its remaking has been a generational affair, with Judy Garland and James Mason, and then Barbra Streisand and Kris Kristofferson taking respective swings. Bradley Cooper’s version doesn’t so much retrace the same well-worn path as use it…

ByTodd WoffordOctober 6, 20181Comment

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Venom (2018)::rating::1.5

V enom somehow manages to be frenetic and lifeless at the same time, like a corpse with current running through it. It writhes and twitches protractedly before turning into a smoldering, sparking heap. I would never be naïve enough to expect anything called Venom to be a Dean Martin Roast, but this is a joyless, dour two…

ByTodd WoffordOctober 5, 20180Comments

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Smallfoot (2018)::rating::3

T o borrow a baseball metaphor, most modern animated movies aim to send the ball to one of two spots in the stadium. Pixar goes Babe Ruth and points its bat straight to the rafters, where the glorious, intractable legacy of Bambi and Dumbo reside. After the best, most of the rest seem content to safely…

ByTodd WoffordOctober 3, 20180Comments

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Night School (2018)::rating::1.5

If it had been made in the 80s, Night School could’ve been one of those minor classics people still drunkenly quote at parties. I picture a John Candy/Matthew Broderick dynamic, for some reason. Unfortunately, the days of John Hughes and Harold Ramis have long passed, and the formula for Night School is just as stale and…

ByTodd WoffordSeptember 28, 20180Comments

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A Simple Favor (2018)::rating::3

A Simple Favor surgically slices into a subject that’s ripe and ready for satire: The modern mommy. It builds a labyrinthine murder mystery within the suburban topography of playdates and school projects. Unfortunately the plot careens wildly through some dark terrain and forces the audience to endure jarring and incongruous shifts in tone. Strong performances…

ByTodd WoffordSeptember 27, 20180Comments