Author: Greg Mysogland

Director: Ryan Coogler Starring: Letitia Wright, Lupita Nyong’o, Dania Gurira, Winston Duke, Angela Bassett, Tenoch Huerta, Martin Freeman, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Dominique Thorne, Florence Kasumba, Michaela Coel, Alex Livinalli, Mabel Cadena, Michael B. Jordan Rating: PG-13 Runtime: 161 minutes Light spoilers follow: One of, if not the core theme of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Phase 4, has been grief.  One can argue it’s a core theme of the superhero genre, of course, given how, as She-Hulk humorously noted in her television series, so many superheroes are adult orphans.  But many of Marvel’s recent projects focus on the loss of loved…

Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery Director: Rian Johnson Starring: Daniel Craig, Edward Norton, Janelle Monáe, Kathryn Hahn, Leslie Odom Jr., Kate Hudson, Dave Bautista, Jessica Henwick, Madelyn Cline Rating: PG-13 Runtime: 139 minutes Some spoilers follow: Writer-director Rian Johnson set himself a difficult task with Knives Out.  Delivering a modern murder mystery that is both original and satisfying is hard enough but the 2019 film also sought to provide meta-commentary and deconstructionist analysis of the genre.  It managed to succeed greatly at both, becoming one of the most critically popular and commercially successful films of the last decade. …

Stargirl Season 3 Episode 1 “Frenemies – Chapter One: The Murder” Director: Andi Armaganian Starring: Brec Bassinger, Yvette Monreal, Anjelika Washington, Cameron Gellman, Trae Romano, Meg DeLacy, Alkoya Brunson. Neil Hopkins, Luke Wilson, Joel McHale Rating: TV-PG Spoilers Follow: Stargirl Season 2’s embrace of horror genre influences made sense for a season focused on the Justice Society of America’s battle with Eclipso and led to some interesting stylistic choices.  But it also made the show darker and more somber than it really ever needs to be.  Season 3 has fortunately settled on a new genre influence that’s more appropriate for…

Werewolf by Night Director: Michael Giacchino Starring: Gael García Bernal, Laura Donnelly, Harriet Sansom Harris, Kirk R. Thatcher, Eugenie Bondurant, Leonardo Nam, Daniel J. Watts, Al Hamacher, Carey Jones, David Silverman, Rick D. Wasserman Rating: TV-MA Runtime: 52 Minutes Spoilers follow: “All Marvel stuff is the same.”  It’s the most common criticism leveled at the films and television series of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.  While I admit that there are a small number of ever-present similarities between even the franchise’s most disparate projects, overall I’d argue that it’s an exaggerated complaint, with the people who voice it often betraying that…

Some spoilers follow: Both the Thor character and franchise have had their ups and downs during their time in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.  Kenneth Branagh’s original Thor from Phase 1 was not as spectacular as the first Iron Man movie or even Captain America: The First Avenger, but it did accomplish its main tasks by successfully introducing Marvel’s take on the Norse gods of Asgard, and casting Chris Hemsworth and Tom Hiddleston, both virtual unknowns at the time, who have proven to be utterly perfect in their respective roles as Thor and Loki.  Alan Taylor’s Thor: The Dark World unfortunately…

Superman and Lois Season 2 Episode 15 “Waiting for Superman” Director: Gregory Smith Starring: Tyler Hoechlin, Elizabeth Tulloch, Jordan Elsass, Alex Garfin, Erik Valdez, Inde Navarrette, Wolé Parks, Tayler Buck, Sofia Hasmik Rating: TV-PG Runtime: 42 minutes Spoilers follow: Now that it’s over it’s safe to say that, while Superman and Lois is still a great show, it did suffer a bit from the dreaded sophomore slump in its second season.  Season 2 was not as tightly focused as the first and made a few odd creative choices that prevented it from reaching the heights of that nearly…

Chloe Season 1 Creator: Alice Seabright Starring: Erin Doherty, Billy Howle, Pippa Bennett-Warner, Jack Farthing, Brandon Micheal Hall, Lisa Palfrey, Poppy Gilbert, Alexander Eliot, Akshay Khanna, Eloise Thomas, Gia Hunter Runtime: 6 episodes Some Spoilers Follow: As more and more people become critical of social media so do other forms of media.  Films and series depicting the dangers of obsessively following the curated images and posts of others’ lives have become common in the last few years, with examples including Ingrid Goes West, Unfriended, and episodes of Black Mirror, among many others.  Amazon Prime’s new series Chloe is one…

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness Director: Sam Raimi Starring: Benedict Cumberbatch, Elizabeth Olsen, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Benedict Wong, Xochitl Gomez, Rachel Mcadams Rating: PG-13 Runtime: 126 minutes Some spoilers follow: It turns out Stephen Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) is a bit of a control freak.  Which, in retrospect, has actually been fairly obvious throughout his time in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.  As a famous surgeon, he routinely performed operations in which he held patients’ lives in his hands.  After the car crash that damaged his hands, he ironically and arrogantly insisted that if he had been in charge of…

The Batman Director: Matt Reeves Starring: Robert Pattinson, Zoë Kravitz, Jeffrey Wright, Colin Farrell, Paul Dano, John Turturro, Andy Serkis, Peter Sarsgaard, Rating: PG-13 Runtime: 176 minutes Spoilers Follow: Batman is the world’s greatest detective but in modern times it’s easy to forget that, even if you’re a fan.  This aspect of the character is rarely emphasized in adaptations outside of comics (barring a few rare gems like the 1990s animated series), especially in film.  Yes, the cinematic Batmen are often shown doing basic forensic work but none of the live-action movies have focused heavily on the character’s crime-solving…

Superman and Lois Season 2 Episode 1 “What Lies Beneath” Director: Gregory Smith Starring: Tyler Hoechlin, Elizabeth Tulloch, Jordan Elsass, Alex Garfin, Erik Valdez, Inde Navarrette, Wolé Parks, Tayler Buck, Sofia Hasmik, Dylan Walsh, Emmanuelle Chriqui Rating: TV-PG Runtime: 42 minutes Spoilers follow: A lot of TV shows, especially in the superhero genre, try to reinvent themselves to certain extents from season to season in order to keep things fresh.  Based on the Season 2 premiere, Superman and Lois isn’t doing that.  “What Lies Beneath” seamlessly continues on from the first season, with the same balanced mix of comic…