SIFF 2019: 'The Art Of Self-Defense' Movie Review

In Riley Stearns’ dark comedy, The Art of Self-Defense, Jesse Eisenberg plays Casey, a milquetoast office drone with no social skills a no friends outside of his dachshund, joins an agro karate dojo to learn to defend himself and become what he fears.

'Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice' (2016) Movie Review

There are a number of elements in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice that I think are great, and that fill me with hope for the future of the burgeoning the DC Extended Universe. Which makes it that much more frustrating that the latest superhero throwdown is such a jumbled misfire, such a bloated, tedious slog, that it’s ultimately just not good. Maybe it’s time that we, as a people, stop letting Zack Snyder do things.

'American Ultra' Movie Review

Under normal circumstances, I hate calling a movie an interesting failure, but in the case of director Nima Nourizadeh’s American Ultra, that’s the most apt description I can conjure. There’s a kernel of a clever idea here, as well as a few bits worth closer examination, but it feels like its stoner protagonist wrote the movie, and continually misses opportunities to satirize and the sleeper agent spy films like the Bourne franchise, like it obviously wants, and develop into anything more than a string of scenes someone thought would be awesome.

'30 Minutes or Less' Movie Review

“30 Minutes or Less” is a breath of fresh air in what has overall been a stale summer. Director Ruben Fleischer’s follow-up to “Zombieland” is one of the few comedies this season that isn’t trying to be an edgy, raunchy, gross-out fest; and it doesn’t end with some heavy-handed, overly-simplified moralizing that even an idiot boy-child can see through. “30 Minutes or Less” is fun, funny, but also manages to tell a good, surprisingly tense story with solid characters. Who would’ve thought to do that?