‘Batman Begins’ reviews
John’s “Batman Begins” flashback review, Jan. 14, 2019 “Batman Begins” – This prequel sets aside the grandiose stunts long enough that we actually get a sense of who Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) is – like […]
IMDb Top 250 Movies
‘A Beautiful Mind’ review
John’s top 10 movies of 2001, NDSU Spectrum, Jan. 18, 2002
Wolverine trilogy goes out on top with unshackled ‘Logan’
Movie review: “X-Men’s” Wolverine trilogy goes out on top with an unshackled finale.
What John thought about ‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ on its 30th anniversary in 2007 (Movie commentary)
To round out the “Star Wars” movie reviews on my blog, here’s a look back at my 30th anniversary essay for “Episode IV: A New Hope,” published in the Brainerd (Minn.) Dispatch on May 24, 2007, one […]
‘Die Hard’ Christmas movie poll is dead wrong
Movie review/commentary: Poll results say “Die Hard” isn’t a Christmas movie. It makes me wonder if Americans should be trusted to vote on anything.
‘Spotlight’ is a crisply crafted thank-you letter to investigative journalism (Movie review)
“Spotlight” almost brought tears to my eyes with the way it respectfully portrays the Boston Globe’s 2001-02 investigation into the Boston Catholic church’s systemic sexual abuse of children by its priests. In the vein of “All […]
Countdown to ‘Creed’: Boxer’s underdog journey parallels Stallone’s in all-time masterpiece ‘Rocky’ (1976) (Movie review)
The buzz is heating up for the seventh movie in a legendary film franchise that dates back to the 1970s. I’m referring, of course, to the “Rocky” series, which will continue with “Creed” on Nov. […]
As Disney mulls Indiana Jones’ future, here’s a look back at the ‘Indy’ quadrilogy (Movie reviews)
My 11-day stretch without cable or Internet as I moved into a new apartment presented a perfect opportunity for an “Indiana Jones” quadrilogy rewatch on DVD. Although “Star Wars” is of course my No. 1 […]
‘Terminator’ flashback: ‘Terminator 2: Judgment Day’ movie and novelization (1991) (Review)
The latest issue of Star Wars Insider (No. 155) espouses ring theory as a way to glean greater depth from the repeating motifs in the “Star Wars” films. The theory could also be applied to […]