Critical Capsule: Annihilation (2018)

Alex Garland is a name that perks my ears, he is a filmmaker who is adept at bring intelligent genre fare to the big screen. His latest is an adaptation of Annihilation, I am not familiar with the book, but after seeing the movie I am curious. The movie is mesmerizing and while I sort of get it, I cannot explain it. It is fascinating to watch this movie unfold and seemingly refuse to answer any questions. It is sort of like the tree in Empire Strikes Back, Luke is told all that is inside is what he brings. Inside the anomaly called the Shimmer there may be more than what the women bring, but the influence of what they bring has an impact. Then there is the final act, some of the freakiest stuff I’ve seen in a mainstream release. This is a movie that begs for multiple viewing to unlock its secrets.

Movie Review: Jane Got a Gun

Jane Got a Gun has finally arrived in theaters, some three years after it was shot. The movie has a production history that is the thing of legends. Unfortunately, the product that ends up on the screen is less than legendary. In fact, the movie is downright forgettable. It is a shame, too, as the cast is actually a good one, and a lot of the shots look fantastic. It really had all the parts needed to make a good movie, everything just conspired to ensure that this movie ended up not being good. Beyond that, the studio just snuck it into theaters, even upping the theater count from 400 to over 1200, but with no ad campaign, it was almost assured to fail.