Author: Ian D.

At this point in his career I find it reassuring that Steven Spielberg is still making movies. The man doesn’t have to and surely has nothing left to prove but he continues to take on projects every couple years.

Matt Damon has been stranded in space a lot lately. Maybe it’s his immense likability that keeps getting him stuck up there. It’s clear after his surprise visit in Interstellar and his outrageously charismatic turn in Ridley Scott’s The Martian that Damon is the perfect astronaut to be stranded with.

Are gangster movies a tired exercise at this point? We all remember the pinnacles of this genre from the last 25 years (Goodfellas, Pulp Fiction, The Departed, Miller’s Crossing to name a few) that have done a wonderful job of blocking out the dearth of bad movies they’ve inspired.

It’s been roughly a decade since M. Night Shyamalan’s name didn’t elicit giggles in an audience. It’s a fall from grace that few Directors ever encounter because of how carefully managed their careers have become. It’s even more disconcerting when you consider the start Shyamalan had and the cultural touchstone his films became.

Every once in a while a film is released nationally that lives in the margins. It doesn’t conform to the norms of plot, form or function leaving audiences and critics alike flummoxed. These films are often passed over without hesitation and with little fanfare because why would we care about something that lacks the budget or star power for me to care?