Popcorn Zombies

By Michael Momper It has come time for a review of a brand-new movie with very mixed reviews and some surprisingly negative backlash: The second addition to the Kingsman franchise. I am writing this review not to play Devil's advocate, but to tell you why I believe many of the top critics are looking at this movie in entirely the wrong light. En route to a somewhat disappointing opening weekend, the newest Kingsman movie had quite a lot of hype after the first movie came seemingly out of nowhere to entertain millions. This surprise success, directed by Matthew Vaughan, was not only bolstered by incredible action and very creative special effects, but also did a great job of satirizing the seriousness of some spy and heist movies. The first Kingsman movie had some great characters (namely Colin Firth's secret agent mentor, Harry), but also had a very fun and lighthearted approach that acted as a catalyst for the superb action sequences. It was a wildly different spy movie, ...

Graham Craycraft Wind River is Taylor Sheridan’s third screenwriting achievement. After movies like Sicario and Hell or High Water, I was already impressed. Now I’m in disbelief. Not only is Wind River another great film, but it is also Sheridan’s directorial debut. While only clocking in at 111 minutes, this film feels like a lifetime. We’ve all sat through a mediocre movie that can just never find its ending. This is not those movies. This “lifetime” that I am referring to is a journey that you will never want to end. Immediately when the movie started I thought to myself how Tom Hardy would’ve been a perfect cast, and not Jeremy Renner for this role. Jeremy… I’m sorry. You have proved me so wrong and I love you for it. Renner’s character shares the audience’s frustration at the lack of evident facts at hand. He is no lawman and doesn’t pretend to be one. As he reminds the characters and the audience a few times, he is just a hunter and a tracker. And he’s ready to hunt whateve...

By Michael Momper Logan Lucky is an incredibly fun and delightful bit of popcorn entertainment. Now, with that out of the way, I would like to bring up a dishonest cinema trick that has irked me for years- you can call it "quote mining".  This occurs on most DVD boxes or advertisements for movies that get very few truthfully positive reviews. For example, if film critic Graham Craycraft were to say that Bad Grandpa is "Unabashedly and unapologetically awful, with absolutely zero moments of hilarity within", I would not be surprised if the film studio ran an advertisement that quoted him saying "Unabashed and unapologetic, with moments of absolute hilarity within".  Believe it or not, stuff like this happens all the time in the movie business because some movies just have nothing positive to be said about them.  It is always frustrating when a movie reviewer starts a sentence saying "Far from the best movie of the year..." and the advertising c...