“‘The Avengers’ Gave Us Marvel’s Peak, 10 Years Ago”

Pour one out for the superhero movie, which had a great moment once upon a time and has steadily lost that moment every year since. Continue reading →

Complaining About DC Movies Has Become Tiresome

I probably shouldn’t give half a damn either way about Justice League; it’s pretty crummy, it’s a comic book movie, and pretty crummy comic book movies don’t really deserve anyone to come to their defense. But the truth is that most comic book movies are pretty crummy, and while the DC comic book movies tend to … Continue reading →

Appreciating ‘Thor: Ragnarok’ and Its Joss Whedon Jabs

I’m at the point where if you give me one Marvel movie, you’ve given me all Marvel movies, but maybe Marvel is also at the point where they’re actually hiring filmmakers and letting them assert their voice in their productions; Thor: Ragnarok, a Taika Waititi joint, is really, really good, and not just in comparison to … Continue reading →

Going Back to the Cabin, Part 1

If you’ve read my review of Drew Goddard’s Cabin in the Woods, you already know I liked it. But even a thousand words can’t fully convey just how much I loved the film, so here’s the first additional two thousand words of an additional four thousand. In this first entry, I discuss the film’s meaning as a love letter and admonishment to the horror genre itself. Continue reading →

Joss Whedon Is My Master Now

Alternate title: How The Avengers turned me around on one of the most beloved proprietors of genre franchisement of the modern age. Continue reading →

Review: The Avengers, 2012, dir. Joss Whedon

The Avengers didn’t have to do much to impress me. Being as honest as possible, Joss Whedon’s attempt at making a respectable entrance into the 2012 summer season with the capstone picture of Marvel Studios’ long-gestating superhero bonanza just needed to be tolerable to get a pass from me. Put bluntly, C-level material alone would … Continue reading →

Review: Cabin in the Woods, 2012, dir. Drew Goddard

With Cabin in the Woods, Drew Goddard and Joss Whedon have crafted the new yardstick by which all horror films released in its wake will be judged. That analogy’s somewhat mild and unseasoned. More accurately, they’ve saturation bombed the genre with barb-filled ordnance wrapped up in one enormous love letter, launching a payload containing their affections … Continue reading →

Avengers, Assemble For Take 86: Behind the Scenes Avengers Images

Well, we’re almost into April, and I can only imagine that in the coming thirty days we’ll see the campaign promoting the May 2nd release of The Avengers ramp up in a big way. Marvel’s unleashed some new screen caps here and there to follow up the truly horrible poster released at the end of February and … Continue reading →

15 Films ACVF Is Excited About In 2012

In my book, 2011 has been a great year for movies. Good stuff has abounded throughout this particular revolution of the planet, both on the side of light lifting– Limitless, Paul, Cedar Rapids, Captain America— and in the realms of more substantial material, such as Drive, Weekend, The Tree of Life, and Win Win. Even … Continue reading →