[Reviews] Movie Review: Solo – A Star Wars Story

Sometimes simpler is better, as Ron Howard's impressive contribution to the series proves.

dracosummoner @May 25th, 2018 | Categories: Entertainment, Film, review, SideArc | No Comments »

Han Solo’s origin story is a genuinely fun action movie that recalls the lighthearted tone of the original Star Wars films without blatantly mimicking their structure or leaning too hard on nostalgia. The new characters are fun to watch, the old ones are given genuine reasons to appear instead of simply being thrown in, and […]

[Reviews] Movie Review: Star Wars—The Last Jedi

An unusual director brings one of the series' best (and most overcrowded) installments to date.

dracosummoner @December 15th, 2017 | Categories: Entertainment, Film, review | 14 Comments »

That’s how you move a story forward. I was apprehensive about Rian Johnson directing a major installment in one of Western cinema’s most iconic franchises (I had issues with Looper), but I needn’t have worried—despite sometimes packing in more stories and ideas than it can give careful attention to, The Last Jedi solidly improves on […]

Still wanting to defend Net Neutrality? Here are some options.

Don't give up hope yet—the fight to save the open Internet isn't over.

dracosummoner @December 15th, 2017 | Categories: Video Games | 4 Comments »

If you’ve been following the Net Neutrality controversy, to decide whether large corporate ISPs can selectively throttle or restrict otherwise legal Internet traffic (Facebook, Netflix) to those unwilling or unable to pay extra, you may have heard about the Federal Communications Commission voting in a 3-2 divide to repeal regulations ensuring this neutrality, with Commissioners […]

[Reviews] Movie Review: Spider-Man – Homecoming

A masterclass in teaching a well-known story how to be fun again.

dracosummoner @July 8th, 2017 | Categories: Comics, Entertainment, Film, review | 12 Comments »

As a tremendously well paced and executed summer blockbuster, Homecoming gives its wall-crawling hero a fresh look, a vivaciously (over)confident personality, and a simple but compelling story that does a great job of fitting within existing Marvel cinema canon.

[Reviews] Movie Review: Wonder Woman

This long-awaited asset to its genre honors a superhero icon.

dracosummoner @June 3rd, 2017 | Categories: Comics, Entertainment, Film, review, SideArc | 9 Comments »

I used to want to save the world, Diana Prince(ss of Themyscira) utters as her film begins. She hails from the land of the Amazons, an secluded, all-female society with ties to Greek mythology itself; much of her early life consists of training to one day defend that society, even as her people neither celebrate […]

[Saint Patrick’s Day Movie Review] Noble, 2014

A decent but inspiring portrayal of a brave Irish woman who has improved countless lives.

dracosummoner @March 17th, 2017 | Categories: Entertainment, Film, review | 2 Comments »

It’s not every day one is likely to hear about a young Irish woman leaving her home and friends behind to serve poor children on the streets of Ho Chi Minh City. Christina Noble, however, did just that, with her tireless devotion and love for the children of a war-ravaged nation leading to the making […]

[Reviews] Movie Review: Rogue One – A Star Wars Story

Grim but optimistic, this grand contribution to a beloved series bridges old substance and new style.

dracosummoner @December 16th, 2016 | Categories: Entertainment, Film, review, SideArc | 4 Comments »

It’s hard to make “overwhelming odds” consistently feel convincing. Blockbusters have relied on those for so long that their villains and threats have to keep raising the stakes in order to be taken seriously. Rogue One takes a different approach–instead of making a “newer and bigger” Empire, it reminds us why the original was so […]

[Reviews] Movie Review: Doctor Strange

Cumberbatch and company bring fantastic performances to a surprisingly thoughtful origin story.

dracosummoner @November 5th, 2016 | Categories: Comics, Entertainment, Film | 7 Comments »

Distracted driving is dangerous. After a horrific accident threatens to cut short both Dr. Stephen Strange’s illustrious career and his life, the battered yet proud and determined surgeon’s journey through physical and emotional rehabilitation soon grants him not only the regained use of his finger dexterity but also the power to travel among dimensions and […]

[Reviews] Movie review: Crimson Peak

A gorgeous and disturbing work from Guillermo del Toro, though not his finest

dracosummoner @November 1st, 2016 | Categories: Entertainment, Film | 8 Comments »

Guillermo del Toro’s period romance turned horror tale turned stage drama is an interesting but odd film, whose mixture of genres results in a story that feels barebones but nonetheless offers incredible visuals and atmosphere thanks to its stunning architecture and disturbingly convincing special effects. The writing could use more confidence along the lines of […]

[Reviews] Movie Review: The Witch (2015)

Slow and steady almost to a fault, this acclaimed horror film's themes are more compelling than it is

dracosummoner @September 16th, 2016 | Categories: Entertainment, Featured Posts, Film | 9 Comments »

When faced with evil, our response to it says more about us than any danger alone does. In 1630 New England, a man and his wife and children are banished from their plantation by a Christian court for crimes not fully specified. Exiled to a green yet bleak wilderness, the family rebuilds their life as […]