Alonso Duralde

1 week ago | thefilmverdict.com | Alonso Duralde

Still, that collapsing object of beauty sticks in the mind, since The Phoenician Scheme sees Anderson indulging in all of his usual design fetishes (we don’t just get precisely-lettered labels on ornate boxes, we also get the yellowing cellophane tape affixed to those labels) without seeming to get around to a story or characters or themes.

1 week ago | thefilmverdict.com | Alonso Duralde

VERDICT: This reboot-remake-sequel never strays far from what’s expected but succeeds thanks to cornball charm and some stirring fight sequences.

2 weeks ago | thefilmverdict.com | Alonso Duralde

VERDICT: This pleasant-enough remake of the animated film never quite justifies why that animated film needed to be remade in the first place.

3 weeks ago | thefilmverdict.com | Alonso Duralde

Nearly 30 years after that first Mission: Impossible movie (directed, lest we forget, by Brian De Palma), we arrive at the eighth and perhaps — if the title is telling the truth — last chapter of the saga, Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning.

3 weeks ago | thefilmverdict.com | Alonso Duralde

And there’s plenty of good stuff in Final Destination: Bloodlines, a sequel that appears crafted to be the final entry in this gory franchise. With its outlandish, ambient-yet-meticulously-orchestrated homicide DNA popping up in this spring’s The Monkey, it’s probably a good time to bring this series to a close. At the same time, Bloodlines reminds us of why these hilarious horrors have been such crowd-pleasers, and why their creators might never call it quits.