It’s not one of Pixar’s absolute best — it’s a little too scattered for that, and the typical heartwarming takes a back seat to the chaotic energy. Still? A very, very fun time at the movies. (2/2)
Pixar’s latest,
#HOPPERS, is bananas. It’s incredibly funny, it’s got a manic pace, and you never quite know where it’s going to go next. I really knew very little about the film going in, but I think it would have been even better if I had known absolutely nothing. So if you’re interested, don’t read a synopsis, don’t see a trailer, don’t read a review, just go in cold. (1/2)
Charlie Kirk was a toxic shithead. Doesn’t mean he deserved to get shot in a public forum. The whole thing — everything that the US has become, thanks to the MAGA movement — just makes me sad and depressed. And Kirk’s death will only enrage the Nazis all the more. How about no more killing?
#CharlieKirk
Discovered yesterday that INFOQUAKE has been released in Russia the best way possible: by receiving a fan email from a new reader in Belgorod thanking me for the fantastic book. A nice pick-me-up for the weekend.
If there’s one reason to see FANTASTIC FOUR, it’s the Jetsons-style 1960s vibe. All that faux Atomic Age architecture, neon color, and retro fashion is like popcorn for the soul. Just maybe don’t do like I did and pay $27 a pop to see it in IMAX. (4/4)
Also — here’s a phrase I never thought I’d type — Pedro Pascal is terrible. TERRIBLE. He’s so mumbly and morose and namby-pamby as Reed Richards that he nearly drags the whole movie down with him. I kept wishing that Marvel had kept the John Krasinski cameo casting from DR. STRANGE, because this film could have used a burst of charisma. (3/4)
The film isn’t *bad*, per se. It’s just not particularly interesting. Our villain Galactus is properly menacing, the Silver Surfer is done well, and I found the third act battle of New York engaging. But generally the effects are not top-tier, the plot is full of holes, and the emotional beats feel perfunctory and unearned. (2/4)
I saw FANTASTIC FOUR: FIRST STEPS last night. The theater was surprisingly three-quarters full for a random Tuesday night, but unlike the SUPERMAN screening I attended, surprisingly quiet. No laughter, no cheering, no applause. (1/4)
As for the “woke” aspects of the film that has the Right losing what little remains of its mind? Forget it. There’s nothing remotely controversial or even left-wing about the movie at all. (5/5)
Still, the casting is terrific.
#DavidCorenswet has an infectious optimism about him that puts him very close stylistically to Christopher Reeve. Rachel Brosnahan makes a perfect Lois Lane, Nicholas Hoult is quite dastardly as Lex Luthor, and Nathan Fillion’s Green Lantern is a hoot. (4/5)
