Movie reviews of Alex Brannan

We are somersaulting toward a resolution that fails to cash in on the immersive storytelling that came before. Review

It just fails to strike a balance, and, as such, the comedy often does not land. Review

The fuzzy characters doing and saying big-hearted things is all well and good, but it does not remedy the glaring issues in the plot and its messaging. Review

There are blockbuster-level action set pieces. Between these sequences, though, the film reads much more flat... Review

This is such a simple concept, but Eighth Grade illustrates it with profoundly elegant precision. Review

A scrappy, heart-in-its-hand animated film. Review

No flab, all action, and unapologetic about it. Review

With this film, he might just be saying too much at once. But too many good things is better than none at all. Review

It is a sequence like that one that shows us glimpses of The Equalizer, which is easily a more thrilling low-key action film. Review

The plot of the film is a silly game of smoke and mirrors, leading us down a path and then attempting to pull the rug out from under us. Review

Beyond the occasional fun acting performance, though, Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again is a lacking experience. Review

Two to three set pieces use the eponymous building to good effect. Otherwise, it is an empty action experience without character, wit, or intelligence. Review

Light-hearted and well-intentioned, a wholesome family film with an animation guru pulling the strings. Review

The action serves its necessary function. The comedy is more effective than your average action venture. Review

Gives us characters worth rooting for in an environment that is actively trying to suppress them, both textually and subtextually. Review

A chuckle here and there. But ultimately it is boilerplate plotting, derivative comedy, and airless depictions of basketball. Review

Narratively divorced, Soldado remains a tough sell. It is hard on the soul, bleak for the sake of bleak, its only justification appearing to be that the world really is that bleak anyway. Review

The only genuine aspect is the action set pieces. They are flashy and loud and violent and, occasionally, quite effective. Everything else feels phoned in. Review

The documentary may read at large stretches like a greatest hits reel of Rogers’ program, but in a sense that is enough to make the point. Review

A really good Pixar movie. It is a fairly good superhero movie. As a long-awaited follow up to The Incredibles, it doesn’t stack up as strongly. Review

A light, high concept comedy with a loose script and charismatic actors who are playfully working to hide the looseness. Review

The numerous issues with Superfly, surprisingly, do not take away from what makes the film compelling. Review

Undoubtedly a film whose intensity and psychological weight are palpable, unshakable entities. Review

The strong acting, the lavish costume design, the snappy editing. It all adds up. But it isn’t the well-oiled machine that it thinks it is. Review