'The Beekeeper' (2024) Movie Review

We’re barely into 2024 and so far, the new movie releases have twice returned to the guy-with-a-mundane-job-who-used-to-be-a-government-agent well. First came Renny Harlin’s The Bricklayer and now star Jason Statham and director David Ayer have thrown their hat into the ring with The Beekeeper. (The Custodian feels the obvious next step.) Bigger, badder, and wilder than the Harlin joint, this plays like deep EuropaCorp trash filtered through a lens of mean-spirited American animosity and excess. The result is relentlessly absurd, but also absurdly entertaining. It's utter nonsense, but fun nonsense that’s in on the joke (to an extent), and even funnier because everyone plays it straight faced. 

'Mayhem!' (2023) Movie Review

When you have a checkered past, a new, idyllic life complete with a pregnant wife and newly minted hopes and dreams, and are a badass fighter, you know you’re utterly, absolutely screwed. Cinematically speaking of course. Such is the case for Samir (Nassim Lyes), the protagonist of Mayhem!, the latest violent offering from director Xavier Gens (The Divide, Gangs of London). Vicious and all kinds of mean, this offers up a dark, brutal slice of fantastic action for those so inclined.

'Silent Night' (2023) Movie Review

John Woo is arguably the greatest action director of all time. So, you better believe when the master drops a dialogue-free Christmas-themed revenge movie, I am all over that. Silent Night sees Woo working in what closely approximates a low-budget 1990s direct-to-video action aesthetic. It’s a little sparser and a little less slick than in his heyday, and at times it’s very clear he’s working with a smaller budget, but the Woo still shines through. Though the finished product has been divisive, and certainly doesn’t live up to the director’s career highs, this is a blast of fun, high-octane holiday retribution.

'Asking For It' (2022) Movie Review

Some films approach social issues with nuance and insight, offering carefully crafted critiques that address difficult problems through close examination and intimate conversation. Writer/director Eamon O’Rourke’s debut feature, Asking For It, is not one of these movies. No, this movie is as sharp as a sledgehammer, smashing through walls and breaking in doors with a scream and a Molotov cocktail. A toxic-masculinity-skewering saga of feminist retribution, at times this approach is incredibly effective, carried much of the way by a fantastic cast, while in others it’s clunky and ham-fisted.

Fantasia 2019: 'No Mercy' Movie Review

A modern incarnation of a muscle car, a silver mustang in this case, rumbles across the screen. A woman in a red dress and high heels, her legs noticeably scuffed and scraped and bloodied, emerges. In casual but deliberate fashion, she walks across an auto shop. She asks a question of the mechanic working beneath a car. When he pokes his head out to answer, she smashes him with a sledgehammer. So begins South Korean director Lim Kyoung-tack’s revenge thriller No Mercy.

The 15 Best Horror Movies Of 2018

Despite the annual hot takes to the contrary, 2018 has been an awesome year for horror. There are always great horror movies if you care to look. As much as I love the genre, it can, admittedly, take some excavation and exploration—horror enthusiasts know we will have to wade through some dreck, but the gems are well worth the trouble. And what the hell, I’m going to run through the ones I enjoyed the most in 2018.

2018 SFCS Awards: How I Voted

Yesterday, the Seattle Film Critics Society announced their 2018 film awards. I’m fortunate enough to be a member of that group and as such, was compelled to vote. Because I said I would, I decided to share my initial nomination ballot.

'Between Worlds' Trailer: Nic Cage's Girlfriend's Daughter Is Possessed By His Dead Wife, Or Something

Nicolas Cage is not one to rest on his laurels. Fresh off the maniac glory that is Mandy, he’s back with Between Worlds, where he plays a trucker whose dead wife’s spirit takes over the body of his current girlfriend’s daughter. Yes, you read that right. If you don’t believe me, watch this trailer.

'Cold Pursuit' Trailer: Liam Neeson, His Snowplow, And Revenge

Sure, on the surface, I know Cold Pursuit is a remake of the 2014 Norwegian thriller In Order of Disappearance, which is good. But god damn, it’s really difficult to take a movie about Liam Neeson as a vengeful snowplow driver seriously. Don’t get me wrong, I will watch the hell out of this movie, but we’ll see how it translates. In the meantime, watch the first trailer below.

This 'Apostle' Trailer Has Cults, Revenge, And Head-Drilling

Over the next few weeks, Netflix will release two of my most-anticipated movies of 2018, movies I’ve been frothing at the mouth for since I first heard they exist. They drop Jeremy Saulnier’s Hold the Dark this month, and in October, they release Apostle, the latest film from The Raid mastermind Gareth Evans. That doesn’t hit until October, but as if Evans’ very involvement doesn’t land this at the top of your must-watch list, this first trailer should do the trick.

'Mandy' (2018) Movie Review

There’s a scene in Panos Cosmatos’ new mind-fuck revenge horror film, Mandy, where a character dips his gloveless hands into a cistern of pure liquid LSD in the most casual manner imaginable. The more I think about it, the more that single moment perfectly represents this bug-nuts crazy, drug-addled, apocalyptic-doomsday-cult-fueled, chainsaw-fighting, demon-biker-having madness and mania. Sure, dip your bare hands into this powerful hallucinogen and see what the hell happens. And it’s glorious.

Top 12 Films Of SIFF 2018

So, another Seattle International Film Festival is in the books. As usual, I watched a crap-load of movies over the past six weeks—SIFF is nothing if not a marathon. My total topped 60 this year, which isn’t even half of the features. (On the final night, I encountered someone on their 123rd movie.) Overall, it was the strongest field in a few years; I routinely found myself pleasantly surprised by movies I didn’t expect. With that in mind, here are my favorites of SIFF 2018, in no particular order.

UPDATED: SIFF 2018 Capsule Reviews

Once again this year I’m helping cover the SeattleInternational Film Festival for The Seattle Times. That’s where the bulk of my reviews and writing time are focused for this year’s fest. And it’s been a fantastic slate thus far. Check out links to my reviews, and a number of other fine writers, below.

12 SIFF 2018 Films You Need To See

The Seattle International Film Festival is an ungainly monster. It runs almost four full weeks (25 days), more if you hit up press screenings and screeners that start two weeks ahead of time, and features more than 400 movies, 168 of them features. You’ll find things that literally won’t see anywhere else. And while that’s awesome, wading through everything gets a bit much.

This Brutal 'Revenge' Trailer Certainly Lives Up To Its Name

If you straight up name your movie Revenge, you immediately set certain expectations. And hot damn, the trailer for Coralie Fargeat’s movie that bears that name is a nasty piece of work. I’ve heard tons of very high praise for the film, and am definitely amped to see this, but I can already tell it’s going to be a rough watch.

The Trailer For Eli Roth And Bruce Willis' 'Death Wish' Is Here

I want to like Eli Roth, I really do. Dude adores horror, and listening to him talk, his enthusiasm is infectious. I love that he champions the genre, but I can’t stand his movies. So when I heard he was remaking Death Wish with Bruce Willis, I cringed. Well, the first trailer is here, and it’s exactly what I expected.

Chadwick Boseman Gets Vengeful In This 'Message From The King' Trailer

Damn, I’m way, way into this whole “Chadwick Boseman is everywhere” thing that’s going on right now. Sure, we’re all psyched for Black Panther, whick looks like it rules. And I’m sure Marshall, the Thurgood Marshall biopic he’s in later this year, will be good and stuff. But I just got real excited for Message from the King, a gritty, low-budget revenge thriller that’s right in my wheelhouse. Check out the trailer.

SIFF 2017: 'Bad Day For The Cut' (2017) Capsule Review

Never mess with a man’s mother. That’s cinematic villainy 101. It doesn’t matter how old the guy is, and in the case of Chris Baugh’s debut feature, Bad Day for the Cut, that’s certainly the case, because this old dude will mess you up but good.

Liam Neeson Plays A Vengeful Snowplow Driver In His Next Movie

Yes, you read that headline right. It sounds like a joke, but no, it is not. Liam Neeson’s late-career action-star renaissance continues. He’s had his daughter taken in Taken, flew Non-Stop on an airplane, and even Run All Night. (He’s also going to ride a train and presumably commute in The Commuter.) Now he’s set to play a snowplow driver out for vengeance in…wait for it…it’s too good to let it out right away…Hard Powder.

Eli Roth To Direct 'Death Wish' Remake With Bruce Willis

Well, this is an interesting turn of events. A while back, the news hit that the duo behind Big Bad Wolves, Aharon Keshales and Navot Papushado, were going to direct a remake of DeathWish starring Bruce Willis. Citing the ubiquitious “creative differences,” those two dropped out, but now it’s being reported that Eli Roth will direct Bruce Willis in a remake of Death Wish. That’s…intriguing.