Musings of a Wandering Writer

If you've been reading this blog for a while, you may be aware that I'm a bit of a fan of Michael Mann. Despite my admiration for some of his films, I can't help but admit that many of his most recent films were less than stellar, with Blackhat being particularly disappointing. Given Mann's age, I was concerned that he had given up directing altogether, but those fears were dashed when he announced his return to the box office with this. *Disclaimer: I am entirely unfamiliar with the story of Enzo Ferrari and his company, which could drastically impact how one might enjoy this film. 1 Where You Can Find It: Available in most movie theaters, and is predicted to release on Hulu at some point in April 2024. General Information  Ferrari is a biopic, which was first released on 25 December 2023. It was directed by Michael Mann and written by the late Troy Kennedy Martin. Erik Messerschmidt was the cinematographer for this film and Pietro Scalia provided editing. Danie...

It's been a few weeks since I'd been to the theater lately, so last weekend I decided to go in blind on a film I knew virtually nothing about. I was aware that this had been out for some time, and had a vague idea of its premise, but that was essentially it. Only one other clue gave me an idea as to what to expect and that was Neal McDonough's face and name being on the poster. This was the red flag that should've warned me to stay far away this film, but I was foolish. 1 Where You Can Find It: This film is in theaters as of December 2023, but it is also available on YouTube, Amazon, and other video-on-demand streaming services. General Information  The Shift is a religious science fiction film, which was first released on 1 December 2023. It was written and directed by Brock Heasley. Edd Lukas was the cinematographer for this film and Chris Witt provided editing, while Dan Haseltine and Matthew Nelson handled scoring. It was produced by Nook Lane Entertainment and P...

As a huge fan of Miami Vice since my days as a teenager, I'll never forget seeing Dick Wolf's name in the credits of later episodes and imagining a modernized version of Miami Vice set in New York City. This fantasy was only further emboldened when I saw " Purgatory " via Law & Order: Criminal Intent , which I thought was just amazing. When word of this show's release came out, I was overjoyed and actually made time to schedule when I'd binge the whole season. I had no idea that my elation would morph into disappointed rage (and later mocking hilarity) by the end of the experience. Readers may note that I strangely reviewed season two of this show before publishing this review, but this is mainly because I felt the twisted need to revisit this season (with a support group this time) so I could properly document just how bad it is. 1 W here to Find It: I saw this one on Amazon Video where it is available for rental/purchase, however it is also available...

2023 has been an interesting year for films. I wouldn't say it's been a bad year, but I also struggle to point to anything that's particularly blown me away with maybe the exception of The Sound of Freedom . When I heard about this film, I was immediately excited as I wondered if this would be 2023's under-appreciated dark horse like 2016's The Nice Guys or 2018's Bad Times at the El Royale . Sadly, I don't think this film will join those champions of cinema, but this one still gave me plenty to think about. 1 Where You Can Find It: This film is exclusively available on Netflix. General Information  The Killer is a crime thriller film, which was first released on 27 October 2023 to select theaters before a 10 November 2023 VoD release. It was directed by David Fincher and its screenplay was written by Andrew Kevin Walker. Erik Messerschmidt provided the cinematography for this film, and its scoring was done by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross. It was produced...

I'll never forget when one of my friends pushed Willy's Wonderland on me that I was hesitant to give that ill-fated movie a try as I believed that it was essentially just a cheap knock-off of what this would become. As someone with a super-charged ego, I must formally put into writing that I was wrong to expect so much and now look back on Nicolas Cage's thrashing of ghoulish puppets with what one might almost classify as nostalgia. To be clear: that movie wasn't all that good, which says something when I look at what this film managed to pull off. 1 Where You Can Find It: I saw this in theaters, where it's currently available. It is also available for streaming on Peacock . General Information  Five Nights at Freddy's is a horror film that was released on 27 October 2023. It was directed and co-written by Emma Tammi. The film is based on the popular horror video game franchise of the same name, which was created by Scott Cawthon, who also co-wrote the screenp...