Film – Chuck Koplinski

A great deal has changed where pop culture and superheroes are concerned. Since the release of The Incredibles 14 years ago, the world of caped heroes with extraordinary powers was thought to be the purview of nerds and overgrown adolescents. The Marvel Films juggernaut hadn’t begun, and not everyone knew that Tony Stark was Iron […]

I think the reason we like fact-based survival movies is that we can’t help but put ourselves in the place of whatever poor soul it is we see on screen and ask, “Would I be able to do that?” Whether sewing up a gaping wound, going prolonged periods without food or water, or hacking off […]

Today’s movie lovers live in a golden age whether they realize it or not. While the quality of what appears on screen is questionable at times, never before have there been more films being made or more different ways to see them. Classic movies, foreign works and other oddities are available through a variety of […]

One of the secrets to the success of the character Deadpool is that he is the ultimate vicarious instrument. Much like Clint Eastwood’s Dirty Harry, he says what we’d like to say and responds to crises in a violent, straightforward manner. These characters are not handcuffed by the social niceties most of us feel compelled […]

There’s really no reason for Rob Greenberg’s Overboard to exist. The 1987 original with Kurt Russell and Goldie Hawn is a perfectly serviceable light comedy that’s readily available on streaming services and has become a cornerstone of the TBS movie canon. Actually, the true purpose of this vehicle is to introduce American audiences to Eugenio […]

Marlo (Charlize Theron) isn’t overwhelmed by motherhood; she’s consumed by it. With a nine year-old girl, a five year-old boy with special needs and a newborn, whatever part of her individuality she’s been holding on to has been ground to dust. She does her best to meet her kids’ needs and maintain a semblance of […]

Comedy troupe Broken Lizard’s Super Troopers 2 may be the future of filmmaking. When the group announced they were setting up a fundraising account to raise money to produce a sequel to their cult comedy hit, their goal was to raise $2 million. They exceeded that in 24 hours and the cameras were soon rolling. The result was a […]

The intention behind Abby Kohn’s and Marc Silverstein’s I Feel Pretty can’t be faulted. The film couldn’t be timelier, as it is a broadside against media representations of unrealistic physical perfection and the effect that it has on women’s self-image. However, this comedy is a “one-step-forward, two-steps-back” exercise that can’t get out of its own […]

Anyone who’s ever owned a dog has probably thought at one time or another, “I wonder what he’s thinking? What would he say if he could talk?” As for our beagle, Gracie, I’m quite sure she would talk about her excitement when she knocks over the trash can to find whatever culinary treats we’ve discarded […]

John Krasinski’s A Quiet Place has been impressing audiences at the festivals it has shown at, and now it has the burden of living up to the resulting hype. As with most situations of this sort, the truth often lies somewhere in the middle, and while the film certainly has its moments, it’s surely not […]

Some things fit like a hand in a glove, and Steven Spielberg’s adaptation of Ernest Cline’s novel Ready Player One is certainly a “peanut butter meets jelly” kind of moment. Taking place in, of course, a dystopia in the near future, the story is a smorgasbord of pop culture allusions that come so fast and […]

“Almost, not quite,” sums up Roar Uthaug’s Tomb Raider, another reboot of a long-dormant property that does its best to rekindle the initial fervor surrounding Lara Croft, the video game character that spawned two Angelina Jolie features. Thanks to a fresh take on her origin as well as a winning turn from Alicia Vikander that […]