The Blu Spot

The Film: After the 2013 "Evil Dead" reboot failed to impress both critics & audiences alike with its pointless, gratuitous bloodbath, it was decided that it was time to put the idea of another film on the back burner for a little while, and instead attempt the series' first television iteration (with original star Bruce Campbell in the lead, no less). "Ash vs. Evil Dead" was well-received, but after three all-too-brief seasons, it was cancelled due to low viewership (basical

The Show: When one thinks of the everlasting torments of hell and demons being presented the opportunity to redeem themselves, an animated musical comedy is probably not the first grouping of genres that come to mind when attempting to relay such a tale, but that's exactly the route that Vivienne Medrano has taken to do so with her curiously bizarre adult cartoon "Hazbin Hotel." Can this extremely unlikely combination of premise & genres possibly function in tandem, or is thi

The Film: When it comes to naming the greatest directors in the history of cinema, I don't think you're going to find many that disagree with Steven Spielberg being somewhere on that list, having given us a multitude of classics that includes "Jaws," "Schindler's List," "Jurassic Park," and most of the "Indiana Jones" films. The unfortunate part is that, in such an extensive filmography that contains so many masterpieces, there are other entries that tend to get overshadowed

The Film: There are no doubt people who know the great Steven Spielberg primarily as a director of powerful dramas like "Schindler's List," "Saving Private Ryan, "Lincoln," and many more, but then there are those who know him mostly for his more adventurous/fun/action-oriented side with films like the "Indiana Jones" series, "Hook," "Jurassic Park," and "Catch Me If You Can." One of those films that falls into the latter category, another that often falls between the cracks w

The Film: Over the last few years, Oscar-nominated director Yorgos Lanthimos has given us quite a fascinating range of films that have also somewhat varied in quality. In 2018, he delivered the marvelous "The Favourite" that told of an intriguing rivalry for a queen's affections. Five years later, this was followed by "Poor Things," a strange tale of a young woman brought back to life who experiences everything anew. The very next year, he sadly dropped off a bit with "Kinds

The Film: When the great Daniel Day-Lewis announced his retirement from acting back in 2017, it was quite a shock to everyone. To think that the man who had given such brilliant performances in films like "Lincoln," "Gangs of New York," "There Will Be Blood," and "My Left Foot, and had earned a remarkable three Oscars for Best Actor, would no longer be gracing the screen with his presence was certainly a disappointing blow. However, hope reignited in the last couple of years

The Film: Just four years ago, Director Scott Derrickson and co-writer C. Robert Cargill unleashed "The Black Phone" in theaters, adapting Joe Hill's supernatural horror short story into a feature film. The result drew extremely mixed reviews from critics, and indeed the film was something of a mixed bag where the writers certainly could've tried a little harder to do a bit more with its premise, but that hardly stopped it from being an enormous hit at the box office. Indeed,

The Film: You've probably heard me mention a few dozen times at this point how filmmakers nowadays find it immensely difficult to break away from the oh-so-familiar formula when it comes to romances of any kind. The sad part is that they don't even seem to be willing to try doing something a little different to give the audience a surprise or two, basically causing them to be ahead of it every step of the way. That said, there are some that at least try to dress it up a bit b

The Film: As writer/director Paul Thomas Anderson quickly approaches 30 years of making theatrical features, it really is quite something to look over what a strange & eccentric filmography he's created along the way, one that has thus far earned him a remarkable 11 Oscar nominations (though curiously no wins). In a career that's included some misses like "Inherent Vice" and "Licorice Pizza," to much stronger work like "There Will Be Blood" and "Magnolia," it's been truly fas

The Film: In 1990, a most remarkable & unlikely pairing occurred when two-time Oscar winner Robert De Niro, known for his dramatic roles in films like "The Godfather: Part II" and "Raging Bull," teamed with then two-time Oscar nominee Robin Williams, mostly known for being a master comedian, though he had started to turn to roles in films that included more drama like "Good Morning, Vietnam" and "Dead Poets Society." The result was the rather impressive true-life tale "Awaken