Movie reviews of Alex Brannan

The film attempts to understand why people were willing to believe stories like Michelle’s and get caught up in the paranoia. It is far from exhaustive, but it covers the ground it does tread well. Review

When the film reaches its high stakes final moments, it feels as though there was more the story could have unpacked in lieu of the muddled plot it does traverse. Review

The subject matter here is certainly worthy of exploration, but such serious subject matter being relegated to an unsatisfying twist ending makes the message ring hollow. Review

Humor is subjective, and if a nearly two-hour live-action Looney Tunes cartoon is something you’re after you will probably find this endlessly amusing. Review

While the emotional tradeoffs are explored with an effectively dour grounding — and Greer channels the emotional weight of it all with aplomb — the film does not break new ground in the genre. Review

The quality of the talking head interviews is apparent, and they shed plenty of light on the production of the disgraced special. All the while, the doc maintains a light humor that goes beyond merely pointing at the special and laughing. Review

This world-building points to the cleverness of the film. The script innocently mocks wellness culture and technology dependence. Review

Shin Kamen Rider is a light and at times exciting action film. It may be the weakest of this series of Shin films (Shin Godzilla and Shin Ultraman being the others). But it still manages to strike a tone that balances cheese and sincerity effectively. Review

The film does not drag or feel thin, as Fessenden takes pains to unearth the turmoil that results from Charley’s condition and flesh out the small town at the center of his rampage. Review

This driving thematic arc could be mapped onto any number of real-world analogues, but I ultimately feel the film functions better as a genre exercise than as a social allegory. Review

Stay Online is an intense, slightly belabored experience that works best when it seeks to show compassion between individuals. Review

Sympathy for the Devil is constructed rather conventionally—a fitting complement to a story which builds slowly toward unimaginative twists. Review

The Flash has enough going for it in the action, comedy, and nostalgia departments to appease both DC fans and general audiences. Review

No matter which way this MCU ship turns as it continues through its multiverse era, this trilogy of films will be able to stand on its own. Given what the big studio franchise has become in the wake of Marvel’s success, this is a pleasant and welcome surprise. Review

Fans of tech-based films like Steve Jobs or this year’s Tetris will likely find something to enjoy in BlackBerry. Review

John Wick: Chapter 4 is an epic whose scope exceeds that of most American action films. Review

Scream VI has a duo of intense and well-staged set pieces. Review

For all of its fast-talking plotiness and attempts at witty humor, Operation Fortune lacks the vim and vigor of a grand-scale action comedy. Review

For what its worth, there are shots in here that look fantastic and the visual effects are sufficient for what the film needs of them. As far as bears and cocaine go, though, that combination alone is not enough to hang your would-be cult film on. Especially if you are in on the joke and it’s the only cohesive joke you have. Review

Act of Violence is a very talky movie, and much of that talking is banal and takes place in real time. Review

Magic Mike’s Last Dance is the low point in the trilogy. It lacks the characters and relatively-speaking tighter story structure of Magic Mike and the picaresque ode to pleasure of Magic Mike XXL. Review

On a final note, the film is shot really well. Shyamalan puts more personality into his camerawork than he does into his characters. Review

Infinity Pool is by no means mainstream viewing, and even those who appreciated Possessor may walk out of this new film from Cronenberg feeling cold. Review

It’s no horror film, but it tightly captures a specific feeling, a fear of the unknown that is mostly absent in Sick. In Sick, the unknown is a plot device. And the fear, if it exists at all, is in the framing. Review