William Bibbiani

2 weeks ago | thewrap.com | William Bibbiani

Did you ever wonder what Lilo & Stitch would look like if it was live-action, a lot longer and not quite as good? If you did, you’re thinking like a Disney executive. The House of Mouse has been chewing away at its own foundations for nearly two decades now and it’s found something else to gnaw on. The 2002 animated classic was practically perfect, and at a lean 85 minutes it’s still a testament to storytelling efficiency.

2 weeks ago | thewrap.com | William Bibbiani

I’ve said it before — and I’ll say it again unless Wes Anderson suddenly shifts gears and makes an earthy Dogma ’25 film — but I don’t think Wes Anderson makes “movies.” He makes moving dioramas. The worlds he creates for us are intimately crafted, finely mapped and production designed with an uncanny eye for detail. One suspects that Anderson handpicks every tile on every floor in his movies, and could tell you exactly what’s wrong with each of the individual slabs he rejected.

3 weeks ago | thewrap.com | William Bibbiani

Hey, remember one review ago when I said death sucks? Grief makes it worse. Danny and Michael Philippou’s sophomore feature, “Bring Her Back,” is their second film about the misery and danger that comes from never letting go of the dead. Their first, “Talk to Me,” was an alarmingly assured debut, a truly frightening tale about a mourning teenager who abuses a mysterious relic to reach out to her dead mother.

3 weeks ago | thewrap.com | William Bibbiani

Watching a “Final Destination” movie is like watching a Looney Tune where the anvils keep dropping, but all the characters can die. These are sick, twisted comedies about the futility of mortality and the loosey-goosiness of internal organs. The only reason they’re funny is because at their best — which is most of the time — they have perfect comic timing. They may be grim films that revel in death and misery, but they’re also some of the most enjoyable cinematic spectacles ever made.

3 weeks ago | thewrap.com | William Bibbiani

It never occurred to me while I was watching “Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation” that when Alec Baldwin declared Tom Cruise — I’m sorry, I mean “Ethan Hunt” — to be “the living manifestation of destiny” that I was watching something subtle. But compared to the endless procession of Cruise-aggrandizing speeches in “Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning” that’s exactly what it was. These “Mission: Impossible” movies have always been odd ducks as far as movie franchising goes.