THE OPTIMIST - MOVIE REVIEWS

     Disney's current mission to bring their animated classics back to the big screen in live-action format has been one of the more interesting choices the company has made over the years. Despite the quality of these new iterations, the question that has always floated around my mind concerning this endeavor is: WHY? Disney's animated films are classics in their own right, and the overall need for remakes of the same stories just seem unnecessary to me. That's not to say I haven't enjoyed most of them. Jon Favreau's The Jungle Book is probably the best of the bunch, and that's simply because it took a previously bland original film and made something new of it. It is within this vein that I think Disney can, and should, capitalize on this remake endeavor. Too many of these remakes have been almost carbon copies of their originals ( Beauty and the Beast , Cinderella , etc), so having a fresh take would be the best bet. This weekend marks the opening of th...

I’ve been debating whether or not to post a review for Jordan Peele’s new horror/thriller  Us,  mainly because I’m still trying to process it. A second viewing would offer a greater sense of perspective, which isn’t necessarily a knock against the movie. Also, it will be tough to explore my thoughts about this movie without diving into spoiler territory. So, I will do my best to keep this a spoiler-free, surface-level review—and at surface-level, the movie is fantastic. I’ve had enough time to at least come to that conclusion. The more I think about it, though, the more I can’t shake how insanely memorable and layered the movie actually is. After having such a phenomenal break-out success with  Get Out , it’s hard not to expect something similar from Oscar winner Jordan Peele.  Get Out  was clear with its message; the connections it was making between its imagery, storytelling, and social commentary was concise and played a major part in its overall suc...

        A handful of movies make their way onto the big screen this week, one of them being the post-apocalyptic tale Captive State . Set in a Chicago neighborhood nearly a decade after an occupation by an extra-terrestrial force, Captive State explores the lives on both sides of the conflict - the collaborators and dissidents.  When  the trailers first came out for this movie, I was immediately intrigued. A grounded sci-fi/post-apocalyptic story is right in my wheelhouse. I was looking forward to this movie, and after seeing it I think I psyched myself up too much, because ultimately it was a let-down. That's not to say the movie isn't good or that no one will enjoy it. I was entertained throughout the entire run time, however there were narrative choices, among a few other issues, that really made Captive State more of a bummer than a triumph.    The biggest issue with the movie, I think, is that it's narratively all over the place. It st...

    I assume that, like most movie-goers today, the opening of a new Marvel movie is not only a point of great excitement, but one of anticipatory intrigue. The interconnectivity of this cinematic universe has fundamentally changed the way we see superhero films, and Marvel has yet to have a financially unsuccessful outing. The introduction to Carol Danvers is one that comes with some intense weight and expectation. Avengers: Infinity War left audiences with their jaws dropped, minds blown, and a vicious need to know what happens next. Captain Marvel is an important movie in this regard, and I have to say, I enjoyed the heck out of it. It's in no way a perfect film, but it's easily one of the more entertaining superhero flicks that Marvel has produced, and a lot of that is credited to Brie Larson and Samuel L. Jackson.      Here's what I'll say first, just to get it out of the way. I feel this movie deserves more than what it is given, and what I mean by...

   "Greta" tells the story of a young woman named Frances ( Chloë Grace Moretz) who has recently moved to New York City with her best  friend (Maika Monroe). When she finds an abandoned bag on the subway, Frances decides to do the right thing and return it to its rightful owner. That owner happens to be Greta (Isabelle Huppert), a  lonely widow who leaves bags around he city for people to find, and who's harboring a dark and deadly agenda towards her latest victim, Frances. It's a creepy, wonderfully-shot film that just doesn't stick the landing, mainly because it's predictable to boot.         Predictability in a movie isn't always bad, contrary to what  many  might think. Sometimes the greatest thrills come from the anticipation we brew while waiting for events to unfold, events we see coming from a mile away. In a lot  of ways, "Greta" was like that for me. The plot was fairly paint-by-numbers, and at every turn my wi...