Author: Lucas Klein

It seems like ages since the last mid-to-high budget disaster film hit theaters. Greenland hit the big screen (what few are open) and premium VOD in late December, 2020, and hit regular VOD in February, 2021. While COVID-19 vaccines are injected into arms at an increasing pace, there are still significant restrictions in place. A perfectly appropriate time for a disaster-suspense release featuring anything but viruses. Greenland comes in with a modest $35 million production cost, an increasingly rare mid-budget value flick amidst a spectrum of comic book and franchise action movies at one end and indie/Netflix entries at the…

While most consider 2020 to be the penultimate drought of quality cinema due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a few select films generated buzz, conversation and acclaim. Black Bear fits this bill. This experimental drama debuted in December and stars Aubrey Plaza, Christopher Abbott and Sarah Gadon. Black Bear was written and directed by Lawrence Michael Levine. Taking part in two acts which seem as mutually exclusive as they are deeply intertwined with each other, Black Bear showcases the true talent of Aubrey Plaza. The first half of the film follows Allison (Plaza) as an actress-turned-scriptwriter who rents space in a remote lake…

The latest DCEU film, Wonder Woman 1984, debuted for audiences in the United States on Christmas Day. It become available to watch in theaters and on HBO Max simultaneously and is the ninth entry DC Comics Extended Universe, distributed by Warner Bros. Patty Jenkins, who received widespread praise for her work on the film’s predecessor, 2017’s Wonder Woman, reprised her role as director. With a runtime of 155 minutes, 1984 throws everything it can at you, but ultimately falls short of expectations. Gal Gadot, Chris Pine, Connie Nielsen and Robin Wright all reprise their roles while Pedro Pascal and Kristen…

The latest science fiction film from Netflix, The Midnight Sky, made its debut on one of the most cheerful nights, Christmas Eve, during one of the most cheer-less years, 2020. The film features George Clooney, Felicity Jones, Kyle Chandler and David Oyelowo, and was adapted from the novel Good Morning, Midnight by Lily Brooks-Dalton. All timing circumstances considered, The Midnight Sky landed with a thud of ambivalence. The film, taking place in the not so distance future, follows terminally-ill Augustine Lofthouse (Clooney) in a quest through the only habitable region left on Earth, the Arctic. Augustine’s mission is to get…

It’s been about 22 years since Armageddon hit the big screen. The 1998 blockbuster action-adventure disaster movie features an all star cast, large budget special effects, and a soundtrack that has both pop recordings and a classical score. Armageddon was a box office hit and we’re here to argue why it’s still one of the greatest entries in the disaster film genre. Warning: The following contains many spoilers. An All-Star cast that you love and can relate to One of Armageddon’s greatest strengths is the caliber of its ensemble cast, which included Bruce Willis, Ben Affleck, Billy Bob Thornton, and Liv Tyler in its…

Skateboard ramps come in all shapes and sizes. For example, some kicker and launch ramps and small enough to fit into the trunk of a car while most half pipes require vast open spaces and are not easily transported. If you are new to skating, the following tips will guide on the types of skate ramps and the decision of whether to purchase or build them yourself. Kicker Ramps One of the most basic types of skateboard ramps are kickers. They essentially consist of a bank or slope at a straight angle.  Relative to the ground, a kicker ramp’s surface…

Sonic the Hedgehog is a 2020 action-adventure family film starring James Marsden and Jim Carrey and also features the voice of Ben Schwartz as the titular character. The movie is an adaption of the video game series of the same name, largely popular in the ’90s on the Sega platforms. The trailer for the film trended wildly in 2019 on two separate occasions, both due to the CGI design of Sonic himself. The first design was widely bemoaned as being too realistic and earthy. Fans complained that the look was too much of a departure from his look in the…

Underwater is a science fiction horror thriller directed by William Eubank and starring Kristen Stewart. It also features Vincent Cassel, T.J. Miller, Jessica Henwick and Mamoudou Athie. Though production began in 2017, the film was not released until January of 2020. It was considered a box-office bomb, grossing about $41 million globally against a budget $10-40 million higher. Though it flew well under the radar, we think Underwater presented a satisfactory deep sea sci-fi horror/thriller that fans of the genre can get behind. The action gets underway, and underwater, very quickly. An opening montage sets the scene for audiences. We’re in…

It’s been 37 years since the original Back to the Future came out and we were introduced to Marty McFly, Doc Brown and a supporting cast full of like-able, hate-able, and laughable characters. Back to the Future Part II and Part III were released a few years later. With the advent of seemingly every Hollywood-budget film getting sequels, prequels and franchises (or at least rumors of such) that began in the early 21st century, we examine why the Back to the Future trifecta is still the king of all trilogies. It spans several genres There is a Back to the Future…

Netflix’s highly anticipated follow-up to 2018’s To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before features the return of the two charismatic leads, Lara Jean and Peter, played by Lana Condor and Noah Centineo respectively.  The film takes place shortly after the events of the first film and centers on the emergence of John Ambrose McLaren, a recipient of one of Lara Jean’s old love letters that were errantly sent out. While the original To All The Boys was a bit experimental and unique in it’s teenage romantic comedy approach, P.S. I Still Love You takes a path that feels much more cookie-cutter…