Despite some lingering questions about the soundness of its storyline, “Ad Astra” is a thoughtful film that dives into space exploration in fresh and exhilarating ways, unencumbered by grand designs, intricate characters, and deliberate dialogue where it counts.
Check out the Video Lab Podcast, where Sam and I talk about this movie in more detail: “Chef” is a … More
A fun and harmless deep sea sci fi romp. Some entertaining thrills aside, “Underwater” struggles with a clear visual telling … More
The mesmerizing beauty of “1917” is owed to its dedicated perception as a one-shot film. This continuous motion aesthetic is … More
There’s no sugarcoating the fact that “The Rise of Skywalker” (ROSW) is a surprisingly sloppy send off for the new … More
It is ubiquitous among any written reception of “Knives Out” to point out that what makes the film particularly effective … More
“Joker” is unique in that it buries itself into realism unlike anything set in the Batman universe before. Most stories … More
A sweeping, nostalgic homage to a bygone cinematic age, as much as an introspection of cultural change and personal fame, … More
If one were forced to rank the John Wick movies, “John Wick: Chapter 3-Parabellum” by itself would probably be the … More
Endgame fits neatly in the top tier of great Marvel films. For a stand alone experience, its three hour run-time … More
“Captain Marvel” threads sobering themes with the quirky, dry humor of Brie Larson and Sam Jackson to great fanfare. Concerns … More
The strain that films like “Green Book,” “Hidden Figures,” and “The Blind Side,” encounter is that they are served as … More
Tom Cruise is a weird creature of Hollywood, in all of his films playing essentially the same archetype of the … More
It is difficult for non-Asian people to full grasp how meaningful it is to see an entire Asian cast. The … More
Starting as a standard blue collar struggle, “Sorry to Bother You” is a film continually ramping up its level of … More
“Ready Player One” has a lot of key differences compared to the book it is based on. This was probably … More
“Black Panther” handles covering a remarkable amount of content and story surprisingly well without managing to drag, over what could … More
Fears of a bad trilogy have been greatly exaggerated. The Force Awakens’ good start for me was tempered by the obvious … More
“Blade Runner 2049” is a superb additional chapter to the iconic original. While reboots are always a risky venture, 2049’s … More
If you only see one movie this summer, it should be this. “Baby Driver” is great proof that familiar tropes … More
As AJ Thinks 