Fresh on the tail of Tomb Raider, Rampage arrives to demonstrate that there is no easy route to videogame movie success. Where Alicia Vikander's vehicle attempted to ape the thematic success of its complicated source, Rampage aims to drop Dwayne Johnson into a situation as preposterously stupid as the arcade game it was "inspired" by. Its success is extremely limited. … Continue reading Rampage
In the early days of online multiplayer gaming, being able to re-examine one's failures was nonexistent gameplay factor. In your Quakes and Unreal Tournaments, death was a momentary break, and the manner in which one died was relegated to a verbal description – fragged, sniped, you name it, because the games did. With the advent of widely-played shooters … Continue reading Killcams to streaming – the changing face of defeat
Silence is a risk factor for the modern mainstream film. Used well, it can be atmospherically transformative, and tension-ratcheting. Given audiences’ current predilections toward chat and crunchy foods, however, the prospect of a film primarily steeped in total quiet, as promised by A Quiet Place, is itself a stress-inducing one. When this assured debut from John … Continue reading A Quiet Place
Spielberg is a banker, common sense dictates. Whether telling procedural spy stories, emotional war tales or evocative family yarns, he churns out the good stuff. Ernest Cline has demonstrated that this theory has a limit, and with a tired script based off that author's hateful novel Spielberg has produced the nostalgia-ridden and flimsy Ready Player One. … Continue reading Ready Player One
Wes Anderson, we can credibly speculate based on the title of his latest film, loves dogs. In Isle of Dogs, running with this clear affection for man's best friend, he takes the strengths of his first animated outing, Fantastic Mister Fox, and improves on them all, while telling a charming tale in a dystopic Japan. Megasaki, a fictional … Continue reading Isle of Dogs
Unforeseen Consequences 