The Takedown (2022) Director: Louis Leterrier Screenwriters: Stéphanie Kazandijan Starring: Omar Sy, Laurent Lafitte, Izïa Higelin, Dimitri Storoge, Stéphane Pezerat Buddy-cop films can be tremendously entertaining when they get the tone, chemistry, and pacing right. They can also feel sluggish or formulaic when they rely too heavily on familiar beats without fresh energy or sharp … Read more

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022) Director: Sam Raimi Screenwriter: Michael Waldron Starring: Benedict Cumberbatch, Elizabeth Olsen, Xochitl Gomez, Rachel McAdams, Benedict Wong, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Michael Stuhlbarg Sam Raimi once snuck a joke into his Spider-Man movie about the name “Doctor Strange.” Eighteen years later he finally made that joke real, bringing his … Read more

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022) Director: Sam Raimi Screenwriter: Michael Waldron Starring: Benedict Cumberbatch, Elizabeth Olsen, Xochitl Gomez, Rachel McAdams, Benedict Wong, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Michael Stuhlbarg A throwaway joke in Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 2 once had J. Jonah Jameson quip that the name “Doctor Strange” was already taken. Eighteen years later, Raimi … Read more

There was a time when superhero films did not dominate Hollywood’s box office or cultural conversation. They were neither the most profitable genre nor the automatic go-to topic in interviews with major filmmakers. Hollywood has chased trends before — Westerns in the 1950s and disaster movies in the 1970s — and had occasional successes with … Read more

Once upon a time, superhero movies did not dominate the Hollywood blockbuster landscape. They weren’t the most popular or profitable film genre, nor were they the automatic conversation starter for every press junket. Hollywood had chased trends before — Westerns in the 1950s, disaster epics in the 1970s — and there had been earlier comic-book … Read more

This article was originally published to SSP Thinks Film by Sam Sewell-Peterson. Doctor Strange (2016) Director: Scott Derrickson Screenwriters: Jon Spaihts, C Robert Cargill, Scott Derrickson Starring: Benedict Cumberbatch, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Rachel McAdams, Tilda Swinton, Benedict Wong, Mads Mikkelsen, Michael Stuhlbarg, Benjamin Bratt, Scott Adkins Marvel’s challenge in launching new heroes is that many comic-book … Read more

This article was originally published to SSP Thinks Film by Sam Sewell-Peterson. Doctor Strange (2016) Director: Scott Derrickson Screenwriters: Jon Spaihts, C Robert Cargill, Scott Derrickson Starring: Benedict Cumberbatch, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Rachel McAdams, Tilda Swinton, Benedict Wong, Mads Mikkelsen, Michael Stuhlbarg, Benjamin Bratt, Scott Adkins When Marvel introduces a new character to its cinematic universe, … Read more

Jason X (2001/02) Director: James Isaac Screenwriters: Todd Farmer Starring: Kane Hodder, Lexa Doig, Jeff Geddis, Lisa Ryder, Jonathan Potts, Markus Parilo, Peter Mensah, Todd Farmer, David Cronenberg Not every film aspires to be a work of cinematic genius, and that’s okay. Movies serve many purposes: art, entertainment, and sometimes just a paycheck for the … Read more

Jason X (2001/02) Director: James Isaac Screenwriters: Todd Farmer Starring: Kane Hodder, Lexa Doig, Jeff Geddis, Lisa Ryder, Jonathan Potts, Markus Parilo, Peter Mensah, Todd Farmer, David Cronenberg Not every film aims to be an arthouse masterpiece, and that is perfectly fine. Some movies exist to entertain, to deliver spectacle, and to make audiences laugh, … Read more

We live in an era of CGI dreamscapes, where on many modern productions any on-set mistake can be “fixed in post” by teams of artists and technicians. Whether it’s a strand of hair drifting into an actor’s eye or an entire environment that can’t be built physically, visual effects teams stand ready to shape every … Read more