Oscars 2020: the best of the best
Brian Lang, Film Critic
February 3, 2020
The Oscars are just around the corner and predictions on who will win big are running rampant. Eight films are nominated for the highest honor of Best Picture this year, and this is my take on four of my favorites. One of the top-choices for award pundits is Sam Mendes’s tense war thriller “1917.” Men...
‘Knives Out’ builds a smart, funny mystery
Brian Lang, Film Critic
December 3, 2019
A murder in an ornate mansion, contentious heirs gathering for a funeral, and an off-kilter detective looking for answers. Rian Johnson’s newest blockbuster “Knives Out” sounds like the setup for a game of “Clue,” but its mystery can’t be solved by the powers of deduction alone. When aut...
‘Last Christmas’ is sweet but forgettable
Brian Lang, Film Critic
November 11, 2019
Even though it’s not yet Thanksgiving, for many people, Christmastime is already here. As the holiday season approaches, many avid Christmas fans break out their favorite cheesy rom-coms, and now they can add Paul Feig’s sweet and silly “Last Christmas” to their annual rotation. The film ce...
‘Zombieland: Double Tap’ brings back the gang for more of the same laughs
Brian Lang, Film Critic
October 28, 2019
It’s been a long 10 years since “Zombieland” debuted, but our favorite team of zombie killers has still got it. After making it out of the first film unscathed, redneck Tallahassee (Woody Harrelson), nerdy Columbus (Jesse Eisenberg), jaded Wichita (Emma Stone) and now teenager Little Rock (Abiga...
‘Joker’ creates a compelling, dark origin story
Brian Lang, Film Critic
October 8, 2019
For 50 years, Batman has been a hit on the big screen. He’s faced countless enemies along the way, but his biggest foe has always been the Joker. Over the years, the Joker has been played by many talented actors, with Heath Ledger giving arguably the best performance. Now there’s a new Joker in to...
‘It: Chapter 2’ has less fear and more feelings
Brian Lang, Film Critic
October 1, 2019
After two years, the evil clown is back. The much-anticipated sequel to “It” is here with direction by Andy Muschietti and even though two years have passed for us, it’s been long 27 years for the Losers’ Club. Pennywise’s hibernation is finally over. At the start of the film, most of the gang h...
‘Avengers: Endgame’ successfully wraps up a franchise
Brian Lang, Film Critic
April 30, 2019
Marvel has finally done it. After 11 years and 21 movies, the Russo brothers and producer Kevin Feige have made a near perfect culmination of hundreds of hours of superhero drama. “Avengers: Endgame” is set to make box-office history and is the must-see movie this spring. Without spoilers, let...
‘Shazam’ reinvents the superhero drama
Brian Lang, Film Critic
April 23, 2019
Being 14 is not fun, especially when you’re like Billy Batson, a kid in the foster system who was seemingly misplaced by his mom when he was little. But sometimes the universe needs saving, and when superpowers have been hoisted upon you, you have to answer the call. Billy hasn’t always been ...
‘Dumbo’ tries to soar but sputters
Brian Lang, Film Critic
April 9, 2019
When a little elephant with big ears took flight 80 years ago, the world watched with awe. Since then, Disney’s animated classic Dumbo has been largely ignored until it was slated to be remade as a live-action film, just like half a dozen other Disney hits. The modern “Dumbo” starts with the same ...
‘Captain Marvel’ an exciting and powerful origin story
Brian Lang, Film Critic
March 26, 2019
Ever since Thanos snapped and half of the world’s population turned to dust last spring, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has been on edge. It seems like no amount of superhero films can satisfy us until we see what’s going to happen next to “Earth’s mightiest heroes” but unfortunately, we still hav...
‘Greta’ a silly after-school special
Brian Lang, Film Critic
March 5, 2019
Picture this: you’re riding the subway in New York City when you spot a handbag that must have been left behind on one of the seats. Most passengers would ignore the bag, a few might heed the warnings given by the MTA and call the authorities, but Francis, the protagonist in Neil Jordan’s new psycholo...
‘BlacKkKlansman’ a honest and terrifying look at civil rights
Brian Lang, Film Critic
February 26, 2019
In 1978 Ron Stallworth, the first black police officer in Colorado Springs history, convinced a member of the Ku Klux Klan that he was a white supremacist. “BlacKkKlansman,” a film that’s almost to wild to be true, recreates the fascinating and often terrifying ride of Officer Stallworth and his j...