Overthinking Movies

Is dead truly better? Or is it worth digging up these adaptations on Stephen King's classic story of grief, trauma, repression, and spooky cats. I'm comparing both versions to the book, in my quest to see if it is possible to capture the subtly and dread of the novel on screen.

Fans of the theory of determinism beware, Final Destination says you're fatally right! We're talking about all five films of the franchise and seeing how they've aged. Is the concept still compelling? Do they rise above the usual standards of the slasher genre? Or are they just "death for the sake of death"? As you listen, get uncomfortable, sand off any sharp corners in your car or house, and for the love of God, don't say anything ironic in the middle of a busy street.

Sorry for the late release on this one. So here we are, the last Romero zombie film, and the last film in general by George Romero. Survival acts as a sort of sequel to Diary, but with a very different cast and focus. How does it hold up? Is there a bit of the magic of the original films left?

After beginning a new zombie trilogy with Land of the Dead, and laying the seeds for the next, George Romero decided for his next entry to...reboot everything. Diary of the Dead is Romero's first and only foray into the Found Footage genre, set during the beginning of a new zombie outbreak, and featuring a cast of college students. It features a road trip, an Amish man armed with dynamite, and plenty of philosophizing about the effects of the internet on society...but is it worth the watch?

We're finally back! This October we are taking a look at the first entry of George A. Romero's second trilogy of zombie movies; Land of the Dead from 2005. How does it hold up? How does it compare to the prior trilogy of Night, Dawn, and Day? Is the protagonist as cool as the movie clearly wants us to think he is?

Coming up we will be covering Diary of the Dead and Survival of the Dead as well, along with some other surprise movies to fill out the All Hallows Eve season.

Spider-Man 3 was seen as the clearly weakest Spider-Man movie in 2007, but where does it stand many many Spider-Man films later? Does its charming cast and action win over its sometimes contrived and frustrating story decisions? Will Mary Jane and Peter solve their relationship troubles...again? Where did Peter learn how to dance like that?

Spider-Man 2 was a landmark film in the superhero genre in 2004, a strong improvement over its predecessor, and a great examination of identity of Spider-Man and Peter Parker as characters. But! Literally 20 later, after 8 more Spider-Man films, cartoons, games, and countless comics, is Spider-Man 2 still a peak the for the character, or has it been easily outdone by what was built upon its legacy?

In the time since the original Sam Rami Spider-Man Trilogy we have had 3 different Spider-Man film franchises. The Tom Holland and Spiderverse movies in particular have been hailed as the best adaptations of the character to date. So where does that leave the original film in 2024? What does it say about that era of superhero films, and how has its legacy influenced the decades that built upon its success?

First they Rose, then they had their Dawn, and then they had a War (but not really, there wasn't much war in that movie surprisingly), and having won, hundreds of years later, they have formed their Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes. But not all is right in the new ape dominated earth, and of course, it may have to with the legacy both Ceasar and mankind left behind. I love Planet of the Apes, so with a new creative team behind it, did Kingdom successfully built one upon one came before?

It was inevitable; a movie about a second civil war within the US. Terrifying concept to think about, a thrilling set up for a movie. Released by A24, and directed and written by Alex Garland of 28 Days Later, Ex Machina, and Annihilation fame. Kirsten Dunst is already widely praised for her performance in the lead role of war photographer Lee Smith, but can the script balance such a complex and political subject matter?