Who You Callin’ Stupid?

I posted a review for The Furious one week ago, and haven’t been able to stop thinking about it – not the movie but the review. And not just because it was a brilliant piece of film criticism, but because the apparent dichotomy between its near-perfect star rating and the more negative text of the review indeed represents a confusion I’m still processing. To go back, it wasn’t too long before my learning about The Furious and hearing the swell of excited reactions out of the festivals. This was the next Raid, and unlike the other Raid-likes over the years, it was coming to U.S. theaters. That had to mean something. Then the trailer releases online and, in addition to being phenomenal, is filled with enthusiastic, superlative sound bites. “One of the best action films of the decade” (in a decade which includes RRR, John Wick 4, and for me, Baby Assassins 3). I click around on Reddit and read similar opinions, though one person comments that the trailer pretty much gives everything away. “How could that be possible?” I huff. Well, one punch at a time, and I think this was a huge part of my reaction. … More Who You Callin’ Stupid?

2026 Movie Preview

We’ve had a lot of movie news pouring out lately, apparently because of CinemaCon, something I’m only vaguely aware of. A high-profile exhibition for movies, in an age where movie theaters and international industries are dying and we don’t even have E3 anymore? Sounds made-up. But anyway, it looks like the rest of 2026 is pretty jam-packed, which I was not expecting. I already got The Bone Temple; I was good for the year. Also, 2025 was quite jam-packed itself, with representatives from my favorite brands and directors — Alien, Predator, Jurassic Park, Park Chan-wook, Bong Joon-ho, James Cameron, Kathryn Bigelow, Alex Garland, David Cronenberg, and on and on. What could possibly be left? … More 2026 Movie Preview

Critical Lore Question

My understanding of Baby Assassins was that it was, if not “a big deal,” then at least “known.” Using this very website as a record, my earliest awareness of the series dates back to 2022 (see: “Hydra review”), one year after the first movie released, and even by then, I felt late to the party. Note, in that review, I reference the movie without disclaiming that I hadn’t seen it, which might lead readers to incorrectly assume I had. Garsh, I just can’t let myself get away with anything, can I? I’m such a humble guy! I’d learned about it from an entertainment website like Polygon (which it wasn’t, as their earliest coverage is 2024), in an enthusiastic review or discussion. I suppose this is my mistake, thinking that such writing is somehow indicative of the national (or international) pulse. No, outlets like that are pretty small-time, despite all the damage wreaked by unethical games journalism. Regardless, I then assumed that there were tons of people out in the world whom I could chat with about Baby Assassins, or at least pose this burning question: “Who’s older?” … More Critical Lore Question