Movie reviews of Alex Brannan

The Art of Self Defense is a different moviegoing experience in a Summer defined by samey and lackluster films. The film has a certain luster to it, albeit an inconsistent and, at times, derivative one. Review

The Farewell is a genuinely heartfelt and even more genuinely funny piece from Wang. Review

The film is slightly extended from the original, and what is added doesn’t add much beyond time squirming in the seat waiting for the end. What little was altered from the original, outside from Timon and Pumbaa, is underwhelming. Review

As an experiential trip through the arrested human psyche, which is trapped in the push-and-pull between innate impulse and rational thought, it is something completely different. And that is refreshing. Review

It is a film with minimal plot and a small cast of characters, and not much is done to remedy the problems that arise from that set of parameters. Review

The superficial genre infusion leads to a shallow plot with shallow emotional payoffs, and the few-and-far-between moments of memorable humor do not keep this narrative afloat. Review

Midsommar is a beautiful and deliberately constructed film. Review

What works for Gyllenhaal here is his acute ability to conjure sociopathically faux charm. Review

Instead it’s mostly just a conventional romance set to Beatles music. The intriguing premise seems almost incidental. Review

Toy Story 4 does not have the cleanest plot. That most characters are left on the backburner and the majority of the story involves going in and out of a single building leaves something to be desired. Most of the substance comes in the subtext. There are strong thematic concepts in the film, to be sure. The question becomes, though, whether or not those themes provide enough substance to overcome the shortcomings. Review

If a remake needed to be done (did it?) this was an admirable way to handle it. It is different enough to be its own thing, and it only slightly leans back on its IP to tell its story. Review

While The Dead Don’t Die doesn’t have a coherent message to hang its hat on, it is nevertheless a mildly satisfying genre experience. Review

It is a film pulsing with a constant rhythm, and the insanity found within that rhythm is choreographed to perfection by Nina McNeely. Review

Men in Black: International is dressed up as a fun science fiction film. The set pieces and comic tone is there. But those set pieces lack a dynamic edge. The tone lacks a personality. Review

Dark Phoenix has one impressive set piece, and it has a hint of intrigue in its character work. But the overall product of this adaptation is a film that performs a thudding and flat conclusion to a 19-year franchise. Review

Rocketman is likely to provide you what you want and expect out of an Elton John biopic. It has flair. It has pomp and circumstance. It has ornate costume design. It has all the hits that you’d expect. But the film also throws in a surprise or two in its pursuit of musical fantasy that livens things up a bit. It’s better for it. Review

This story of the kaiju is contrived and uninteresting. Review

Alex Ross Perry serves to remind us of what we already know: Elisabeth Moss is a tidal wave of acting talent. Review

The resulting sequences run the gamut of quality, but they stem out of a comic book idea of horror violence. It is chintzy, bloody fun, in spite of all the shortcomings. Review

While these are intentional choices meant to illustrate a particular world, they don’t add up to something particularly meaningful. To put it simply, the sum of the parts are lesser than the presentation of the parts. Review

Aside from its middle act problems, John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum provides the same bombastic, high body count action that the previous films did. Review

There are a number of gorgeous landscape shots to juxtapose the intimacy with a sense of global importance. But The Wandering Earth cannot escape its shortcomings. Review

As gaudy as the action is, as bland as the story is, and as lackluster as most of the performances are, Detective Pikachu has ambition. Review

There isn’t anything particularly enlightening in this dance. But I guess it keeps the meme alive. Review