Tag / david koepp

by Jaime Rebanal

The Mummy (2017) – Review

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It already seems as if we’re getting cinematic universes after another at this rate that stretch outside the likes of Marvel and DC, for now we also have Legendary’s MonsterVerse and now Universal is chiming in by reviving classic horror movie icons for the Dark Universe. To say they’ve started things off interestingly is one thing, because I’m still struggling with trying to deconstruct what it is that I’m really feeling about The Mummy right after having seen it because it only seems like this new cinematic universe will probably not go the way it was planned to be; and yet somehow that’s a part of why The Mummy only resulted in such a baffling experience. I was far too busy laughing at the stupidity of where it was going to the point I couldn’t say I was ever finding myself getting bored, yet at the same time that’s a part of why it’s difficult enough for me to even say it allows the Dark Universe to show promise.

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by Jaime Rebanal

Inferno (2016) – Review

✯½

We’ve gotten this far ahead inside of a world where Robert Langdon is thought to be potential for an iconic film character and yet his previous two films are either laughably ridiculous with the turns of their mysteries or horrendously boring at their worst. Inferno, while not nearly as tedious the experience that The Da Vinci Code was, just goes down the way Angels & Demons had suffered in the sense that they twist far too much either it can get too ridiculous for their own good, stinting itself from retaining one’s interest. We’re three films into this series already and they forgot what is the key element to Robert Langdon that should have been present with The Da Vinci Code.

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by Jaime Rebanal

Snake Eyes – Review

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Brian De Palma putting Akira Kurosawa’s Rashomon and Alfred Hitchcock’s Strangers on a Train together into one, and the results are nothing less than pleasing. When he is at his most intriguing, Brian De Palma’s work around conspiracy thrillers is never anything below entertaining but to see him and Nicolas Cage come together is where all the promise of Snake Eyes comes in. There are a fair share of weaknesses that ultimately hinder Snake Eyes from becoming up to par with where it could reach knowing how De Palma creates the core of conspiracy (best shown in Blow Out, which I still consider to be his finest work) but as every key moment comes together, it shows Brian De Palma’s best capabilities with mysteries, an area in which he is at his most compelling. Continue reading →

by Jaime Rebanal

Mission: Impossible – Review

✯✯½

One of the most notable roles in Tom Cruise’s career as well as one of the most successful box office hits of Brian De Palma’s filmography, both for reasons I never understood completely. That’s not to say Mission: Impossible is a bad film because it’s very far away from that, but the trademarked name seems to be from what I’m seeing is the only reason to remember it but what about it makes everything a standout? As a particularly big Brian De Palma apologist, I’ve always struggled with the reputation that Mission: Impossible had formed. At least given its success the fact it managed to spawn a franchise is understandable, but is the original really as special as some say so? Continue reading →