'Aquaman' (2018) Movie Review

There’s so much going on in Aquaman I’m honestly not sure where to begin. Actually, that’s as good a place as any. There is a lot going on in Aquaman. Like, a lot. To try to map out the plot is a fool’s errand; it’s a tangle of betrayal, a reluctant hero, Aquaman’s childhood, a single throwaway line that connects to the larger DC movie universe, betrayal, revenge, destiny, heartbreak, and a litany of things I know I forgot. And director James Wan wraps all of this is a Day-Glo, candy-colored, hallucinogenic seascape that resembles the cover of an epic adventure metal album from the ‘80s. And it’s as fun and messy as that sounds.

SDCC Trailers: 'Godzilla: King Of The Monsters,' 'Aquaman,' 'Glass,' And 'Shazam!'

I was out of town all weekend, nothing interesting happened in the realm of movies or general pop culture, right? Oh wait, San Diego Comic-Con went down, so the studios unveiled a glut of new shiny new promotional material for their upcoming slates of major motion pictures. (You know, because Comic-Con is all about movie not actual comics.) As usual, there’s a ton of stuff to sift through, but because this isn’t my day job anymore, I’m only going to focus on the ones that I find particularly interesting or that appeal to my peculiar sensibilities: Godzilla: King of the Monsters, Aquaman, Glass, and Shazam!

Check out all of the trailers below.

'Justice League' (2017) Movie Review

Justice League is clunky and messy. It’s jumbled and misshapen. The presence of multiple directors—Zack Snyder did the bulk of the heavy lifting, though Joss Whedon handled extensive reshoots and rewrites, and roughly 20% of the finished film belongs to him, according to reports—is readily apparent in the mishmash of tones and the fact that it watches like multiple movies shoehorned together. Cringe-worthy choices abound. The fight scenes all look like they’re lifted from a video game promo. And, of course, since this is a superhero movie, the plot revolves around an iconic group of comic book characters searching for CGI boxes powerful enough to destroy the world. But for all the bumps and bruises and problems, and they are legion, Justice League is a hell of a lot of fun.