TRAVIS BYRAM'S MOVIE REVIEWS

What was I complaining about in the last post...horror films? Well, in the middle of October, as Halloween is just around the corner...we still haven't gotten a true horror movie. Crimson Peak comes close, but director Guillermo del Toro has described it more as a Gothic romance, a very accurate description, though many times throughout the film I did find myself squirming and jumping from anticipation or jump cuts...both fairly effective. Something a great director (an Eastwood, a Kubrick, a Spielberg) most have is a particular, identifiable style. In that sense, del Toro is on his way. I've seen his Blade II, Hellboy and Pan's Labryinth , all dripping with his signature macabre and creative style. Hellboy is the most accessible and enjoyable out of those three, while PL is the best in terms of story quality. The man's been attached to so many projects it's hard to keep count: he was so close to directing the Hobbit trilogy (that would've been an interesting ...

"Iron Man 3" has left me with a bitter aftertaste since early May, so my expectations for the sequel to 2011's "Thor" were not the highest. Before the "Iron Man" threequel "Thor" had previously been my least enjoyed Marvel, and it wasn't even a bad flick. I didn't enjoy Thor's extremely cocky attitude (RDJ played it off much better in the original "Iron Man" with that smart alack snark) Natalie Portman's sidekick Darcy (played by the usually funny Kat Dennings) and a general lack of enjoyment. So I imagine this is how the meeting went at Marvel, to vamp up Thor's already improved image post-"Avengers:" MARVEL: So none of you liked Kat Dennings' character right? WORLD: NO. MARVEL: She was annoying and added nearly no purpose to the film? WORLD: YES. MARVEL: So what you're saying is you want her back in the sequel? WORLD: NOOO! MARVEL: Right. Silly suggestion. You're saying ...