Brief thoughts on Hotel Artemis.

Figured I'd go ahead and churn something out real quick for this movie. Imagine John Wick, but the film took place entirely within The Continental, and you have a pretty good idea of what to expect of Hotel Artemis from Drew Pearce. Set within a futuristic riot-torn Los Angeles, the film centers on the caretakers and the revolving patients of the Hotel Artemis, an underground hospital for criminals with paid memberships, with strict rules of non-violence within the premises. As the busy night of rounds unfolds, those rules will be broken as the night reaches a brutal finale.

Brief thoughts on Ocean's 8.

I can't say I find Steven Soderbergh's Ocean's trilogy to be classic movies in any way, but they've always remained reliable pieces of popcorn entertainment to me, enjoyable for their slick production value and interlocking games of deception, and for the cast chemistry that elevates the thinly written characters. And if any movie felt as appropriate to receive a gender-swapped retool, Ocean's 8 was certainly it, here following Danny Ocean's sister Debbie, as she plans her own heist rounded out by her own eclectic team. The result certainly didn't disappoint me, proving as entertaining - if slight - as its early predecessors.

Brief thoughts on Adrift.

In 1983, Tami Oldham and Richard Sharp sailed directly into the path of Hurricane Raymond, rendering their sailboat damaged and leaking, at which point Tami took charge in fixing up and steering the boat to landfall. Her story would become an inspiring tale of perseverance, leading up to a film adaptation of her book detailing those harrowing events, and the love she shared with Richard, in director Baltasar Kormakur's Adrift.

Solo: A Star Wars Story movie review.

Han Solo is one of my favorite characters in Star Wars history. In fact, he may well be the quintessential example of a perfect film character. A charming, but reckless smuggler caught up in the middle of a galaxy-spanning conflict he wants nothing to do with, a man unafraid and perfectly willing to get his hands dirty if it means survival, but at the core of that rugged exterior of his, lies the heart of a good man simply afraid of others hurting or betraying him. This is to say nothing of Harrison Ford's performance, whose own rugged charm has become synonymous with the character's legacy.

But if The Force Awakens understood anything, it's that Han had very little left to go at that point, sending him off on a fitting, but bittersweet note. So what do you do after one of your star characters has been killed off? In the case of Solo, the second in Disney's Star Wars Story anthology series, take us back to the past and show the origins of the infamous cad. And in all honesty, this is one step too far, because in an attempt to give a character more depth, they've actually made him less intriguing as a result.

Deadpool 2 movie review.

After a dismal first attempt in the form of X-Men Origins, cult favorite antihero Deadpool made a strong recovery in the form of his titular solo feature, which took multiplexes by storm back in 2016. Fondly regarded by critics and audiences alike, the movie was very much a passion project for star and producer Ryan Reynolds, whose enthusiasm for the character could be felt in every second, as it should, since the film was single-handedly anchored by him.

That said, while I thought it was a funny film, I continue to be put off by the origin story that dominated the first half, that played itself too sincerely for its own good, and brought the film to a screeching halt anytime it cut back. But now that audiences are caught up with his origins, and the studio finally gives the creative team a sizable budget, perhaps its sequel should fix those issues. Alas, while the film still remains funny and charming, Deadpool 2 feels like it actually doubles down on those issues.

Brief thoughts on Tully.

Our mothers: The most significant people in our lives. The most unconditionally loving souls imaginable. But also often the most undervalued. The life of a mother is rewarding, but it is also a very rough ride paved with exhaustion. Through each splinter, changes in schools, balancing work and home life, and every individual quirk in the household, our mothers are forced to don those brave faces for the benefit of their children, never letting the cracks that come with the territory show. It can be a frustrating, joyous, but also uneventful experience, one captured superbly by the Young Adult trio of Jason Reitman, Diablo Cody, and Charlize Theron in Tully.

Avengers: Infinity War movie review.

There was an idea to bring together a group of remarkable characters. To see if they could become something more. So that one day, when we needed them, they could launch a universe that no one else could. When Marvel set forth to do just that, everyone assumed they were crazy, and yet ten years later, they've achieved the impossible. With back to back hits Iron Man, Thor, Captain America, Guardians of the Galaxy, Spider-Man, Black Panther, culminating in two Avengers crossovers, they've turned what many thought was a surefire trainwreck into a gargantuan event series.

For ten years, Marvel has been hard at work breeding their characters for the eventual culmination of their journeys, and the steady stream of Infinity Stone introductions, at the hands of Thanos and the restoration of the Infinity Gauntlet. Gargantuan a task it was, perhaps one that could have undone Marvel despite their success. It's all inevitable that Marvel will eventually fall victim to the hype they themselves generated, and with what a bloodbath and earth-shattering climax the Infinity War would be, this could have been the place to do it. No doubt, with the sheer number of characters and personalities at play, this is an exhausting movie. But one with a titanic bravado, and even if hitting road bumps, succeeds at hitting the expectations of those devoted fans who've followed their exploits for a decade.