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...

Graham Craycraft A week ago I was shown a documentary about the Barkley Marathon. A 100-130 mile foot race through the hills of Tennessee. This foot race is the brainchild of Gary Cantrell, a former and pioneer ultra runner. Inspired by the escape of James Earl Ray who assassinated Martin Luther King Jr., Ray made it 8 miles away from the prison in 2 and a half days. Cantrell scoffed by saying he could make it 100 in the time that Ray had. This race is designed to make runners think and act according to their situations. I say situations instead of surroundings because many aspects of the race are a mystery. How to apply, what the exact course is until a little before, and even when the race time is. The runners are only given an hour warning to race start. In the many years of this race less than two dozen people have been able to accomplish all five laps of this behemoth. They have 60 hours which is 12 hours per 20-26 mile lap. But these laps will break the toughest runners ou...

By Michael Momper Christopher Nolan and Tom Hardy- one of the most sure-thing partnerships I’ve seen since Scorsese and Deniro.  They are both such safe bets when it comes to spectacular filmmaking that their movies almost sell themselves on their star power alone- Nolan’s name reminds filmgoers of their absolute adoration for The Dark Knight, Inception , etc. and Hardy’s has become a rock-solid standard of great film choice ( Mad Max, The Revenant, The Drop , and Locke all within the past 3 years). Luckily for us fans, these two manage to never skate by on their name alone, and instead have given us what I think is by far their most fruitful pairing yet in Dunkirk.                 Dunkirk already has a sort of timeless feeling in my mind, because it is a timeless story.  The non-fiction narrative of an enormous group of simple countrymen embarking on a perilous journey to rescue their country’...

Graham Craycraft According to critics the reboot of the classic “Apes” franchise has gotten better with each film of the new trilogy. Rise of the planet of the Apes had success on its own but its role was something more. It paved the way for the following two films, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes and then War for the Planet of the Apes. Each film had its moments of despair but the latter two were downright heart wrenching. I’m quite aware that these are only apes and so my sentiment to them is lesser if they were humans, or at least that’s what I would’ve said before seeing any of these three pictures. One of the greatest feats the new trilogy pulls off is instilling a seed of thoughtful empathy towards these characters: Caesar, Maurice, Rocket and the like. The only issues I had with the film were some seemingly ill placed humor in humorless situations. But besides that, let’s get into it. I have been a fan of these movies ever since I saw the original 1968 version. The Planet...

By Michael Momper Edgar Wright has time and time again proven himself to be an action-comedy writer almost without equal- and his newest brainchild, Baby Driver , may quite possibly be his best work to date.  This came as a huge surprise to me, as his repertoire is nothing short of astounding and has been keeping me entertained since I was in grade school.  I feel that providing some context to this genius’ work is appropriate here, because you might be surprised at how much top-notch work he has put out- and, perhaps even more impressive, his complete lack of any duds or flops.                  Wright has written and directed some hilarious and action-packed films that have style and coolness all their own; namely, the three cornerstones of Simon Pegg’s comedy ( Hot Fuzz , Shaun of the Dead , The World’s End ), the incredibly original cult film Scott Pilgrim vs the World , and Paul Rudd’s...