Dann Michalski

The Fast and the Furious is a fast-paced and explosive action film that's incredibly entertaining. The story follows an undercover cop who attempts to infiltrate the underground street racing circuit in order to find a criminal group that's robbing semi-trucks on the highways of Southern California. The writing is pretty strong, and does an especially good job at developing the characters. Featuring Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Jordana Brewster, and Michelle Rodriguez, the casting's fairly solid; Diesel in particular has tremendous screen presence. And, the stunt work for the car chases is quite impressive. Exciting and action-packed, The Fast and the Furious is a thrilling, high-octane adventure.

A disappointing entry in this storied series, Cult of Chucky attempts to set a new course and makes a mess of things in the process. After her family is killed by Chucky, Nica is committed to a mental hospital but finds that Chucky has followed her there looking to finish the job. There’s also a worthless subplot with Andy (from the first three films) that the writers don’t seem to know what to do with but got boxed into by Curse’s end credit scenes. And all the old mythology about Charles Ray (aka Chucky) and his voodoo powers gets thrown out and replaced. Still, the kills are pretty entertaining (in a horror movie king of way), and there’s a bit of mystery as to which of the two dolls at the hospital is the real Chucky and what his plan is. Cult of Chucky lacks vision and ends up as just another dumb, pointless slasher film.

The often overlooked black sheep of the franchise, the 2002 Twilight Zone delivers a solidly entertaining season of the strange and fantastical. Produced by Ira Steven Behr (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine) the season features 43 sci-fi, fantasy, and supernatural tales; including a couple of remakes of classic episodes, such as “Eye of the Beholder” and “The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street,” and several others that are inspired by original episodes. Still, the episodes are rather hit-and-miss. The writing is a little weak, at times telegraphing the twist and rushing the story. Yet overall it does a good job at modernizing the series and tackles a lot of same political, social, and theological issues that the original show did. Hosted by Forest Whitaker and featuring a host of impressive guest stars (Katherine Heigl, Portia de Rossi, Jeremy Piven, Elizabeth Berkley, Andrew McCarthy, Jaime Pressly, Jason Bateman) the shows has a lot of talent behind it. It has some flaws, but overall the 2002 Twilight Zone proves to be a worthy revival of Rod Serling’s classic series.

The Patriot is a magnificent and compelling Revolutionary War epic. The film follows the story of Benjamin Martin, who reluctantly joins the American Revolution in order to save his family. The cast is spectacular, and includes Mel Gibson, Heath Ledger, Joely Richardson, Jason Isaacs, and Tom Wilkinson. The actors all give excellent performances and have good chemistry together; which makes the story all the more dramatic and moving. Additionally, the costumes and set designs are quite elaborate and help give the film an authentic feel. And the battle sequences are breathtaking. The Patriot is a powerful and thrilling war epic that delves into the American Revolution as never before.

In its second season Buffy the Vampire Slayer builds a deep and rich mythology. While the show continues the monster-of-the-week format, it also continues to have a seasonal “Big Bad.” This season's arc follows a pair of vampires named Spike and Drusilla who come to Sunnydale and seize power in the wake of the Master’s death. And while the over-arcing story is well-written and remarkably compelling, there are several duds in the monster-of-the-week episodes. Recurring guest stars James Marsters and Juliet Landau make for wonderful additions to the cast and have incredible onscreen chemistry, both with each other and with the other cast members. Seth Green is also added to the cast in a recurring role, and brings a new dynamic to the established character relationships. Season 2 of Buffy the Vampire Slayer attempts to develop the series into an epic saga, and delivers some of the most riveting and compelling storytelling in television.

Joss Whedon's cult television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer gets off to a rough start in Season 1. The show follows the adventures of seemingly normal high school sophomore Buffy Summers, who lives a double life as the Slayer; the "Chosen One" who has superhuman abilities and battles against the forces of evil that are drawn to the mystical energies that emanate from the small coastal California city of Sunnydale. The tone of the show is rather uneven; which at times is dark and gothic, and at other times is campy and lighthearted. And, the low-budget production values are fairly apparent and detract from the episodes. Still, there's some good storytelling and clever, witty dialog that's typical of Whedon's work. Additionally, Sarah Michelle Gellar proves to be an impressive lead and handles the material extremely well. While it's a little crude, Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season 1 is entertaining and fun, and sets the groundwork for what would become a groundbreaking series in genre fiction.

The Purge is adapted for television as a USA limited series. Season 1 follows a business woman, a returning marine, a member of a cult, and a power couple on Purge Night (when all crimes are legal) as they navigate the dangers and obstacles they encounter. The cast is fairly good and delivers some strong performances. And the writers do an impressive job at building story arcs and at developing the characters throughout the season. Also, they address a number of sociopolitical issues without being heavy handed (as the films often were). Additionally, the show’s able to retain the suspense and terror of the films while toning down the violence (though there’s still plenty of violence and implied violence). It’s not without its problems, but for what it is The Purge: Season 1 is a solid continuation of the film series.

From USA comes the thrilling spy series Burn Notice. In Season 1 CIA spy Michael Westen is burned (cut off and disavowed) and is forced to return home to Miami, where he precedes to try to uncover who burned him and get his job back. But in the meantime, he takes odd jobs helping people with his ex-girlfriend Fiona and retired Navy friend Sam Axe. Starring Jeffrey Donovan, Gabrielle Anwar, and Bruce Campbell, the cast is really good and balances the action and comedy especially well. And the writing does an excellent job at using voice over narration; with Michael giving spy tips and explaining the spy trade throughout the episodes. The show also does an impressive job at building an over-arching story for the season while keeping each episode a case-of-the-week, and the actions scenes are incredibly exciting and fun. Additionally, a number of notable guest stars are featured; including David Zayas, Mark Pellegrino, Ray Wise, Lucy Lawless, and Trica Helfer. One of the best shows on television, Burn Notice delivers a remarkable first season and promises to get even better in the next.

Captain America: The Winter Soldier is an ambitious and exciting film that takes on controversial real-world issues. Addressing the theme of security vs. freedom, the plot follows Steve Rogers as he investigates a possible cabal within SHIELD that's responsible for the assassination of Nick Fury. Starring Chris Evans, Samuel L. Jackson, Scarlett Johansson, Sebastian Stan, and Emily VanCamp, the casting is especially good and features some very strong performances. The special effects are also incredibly well-done and add an extra level of energy and intensity to the action sequences. Yet as strong an action film as Captain America: The Winter Soldier is, it makes some radical changes to the Avenger series and leaves it in an awkward place.

Marvel delivers its first female centric superhero film with Captain Marvel, a prequel to the Avengers series. After escaping capture by the Skrull, a Kree soldier named Vers gets stranded on Earth where she discovers that the Skrull are searching for something and during her investigation she unearths a past that she never knew about. Brie Larson gives a decent performance, though she’s clearly doing an imitation of a Tony Stark-like character (which there are already too many of in the MCU), and the supporting cast is pretty strong; featuring Samuel L. Jackson, Jude Law, and Djimon Hounsou. Unfortunately the script is rather poor, as it desperately tries to avoid telling an origin story while also ham fistedly forces one in at the same time. But the action-scenes and fight sequences are fun and exciting, and there’s some lighthearted comedy that works really well (particularly the Stan Lee cameo). Also, the soundtrack is incredibly well-done; using ‘90s music to set the tone and time period. Despite some flaws, Captain Marvel is yet another solidly entertaining pop-corn film from Marvel.

DC makes a hard turn toward the fantastical with James Wan’s Aquaman. When King Orm attempts to unite the kingdoms of Atlantis to attack the surface world Princess Mera seeks out the help of Arthur Curry, the king’s half-brother, to stop Orm’s coming war. Starring Jason Momoa, Amber Heard, Patrick Wilson, Willem Dafoe, Dolph Lundgren, and Nicole Kidman, the film has an impressive cast. And, the special effects are pretty good; featuring a lot of interesting set and creature designs, creating a fascinating new world within the DC Universe. However, the plot is formulaic and the Atlantis mythology is rather bizarre. Still, despite some problems, Aquaman is an incredibly fun and entertaining action film.

Sony launches another Spider-Man franchise with Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, a fun, though bizarre, animated film. When the nefarious crime lord Kingpin opens up a dimensional portal he accidentally transports several spider superheroes from alternative universes who then team-up to defeat him. Unfortunately the animation style is incredibly poor; having a rotoscope type feel that often seems out of focus with a mesh filter (likely meant to resemble a newspaper comic-strip). Also, the multiple Spider characters kind of diminish the value and importance of Spider-Man. Still, it’s interesting to see alternate universe versions of Spider-Man, and the action is pretty exciting. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse is entertaining, but it’s also a real mess that’s constantly getting in its own way.

AnnaSophia Robb and Uma Thurman lead the cast in the supernatural horror film Down a Dark Hall. Based on a bestselling book, the story follows a rebellious teenage girl who’s sent to a reform school for troubled youth called Blackwood, but she soon discovers that something strange is going on and begins to suspect that she and her fellow students are being used for some nefarious purpose. Robb gives a fairly good performance and director Rodrigo Cortes does an impressive job at creating an atmospheric mood. However, the storytelling is a little weak and lacks strong villains. Also, the supernatural isn’t really played for scares, and the scares that are there seem a little out of place. Still, despite its problems, Down a Dark Hall is a creepy thriller full of mystery and intrigue.

Chucky is re-born in Child's Play 3. After Chucky's blood gets mixed into a vat of plastic his soul is transferred into a new Good Guys doll, and he then precedes to go after his old nemesis Andy Barclay. It's a trite story and is full of the stereotypical horror movie clichés. And the characters aren't that interesting; even Andy has lost his appeal as a sympathetic victim. Chucky however, is still pretty fun and some of the kills are entertaining. With Child's Play 3 Chucky's story has pretty much been played out, and the series doesn't really have anywhere to go.

Chucky's back for more mayhem and murder in Child's Play 2. The story continues as the Play Pals Company rebuilds Chucky in an attempt to find defects, but he soon escapes and tracks down Andy at a foster home. As far as horror films go, this is one of the more plausible resurrections of a villain. But, the rest of the script (with the exception of the final showdown) is pretty weak. Also, the film gives into the campiness a little more this time; with Chucky being more playful than scary. Even so, there's some excitement and suspense to the chases and fight sequences. Though not as good as the original, Child's Play 2 manages to stir up some scares.

Delivering terrifying thrills, Child's Play is an iconic '80s horror film that launched one of the major franchises of the horror genre. Unbeknownst to 6-year-old Andy Barclay, the Good Guy doll that he got for his birthday, "Chucky," has been imbued with the soul of a serial killer who's out for revenge. Starring Catherine Hicks, Chris Sarandon, and Brad Dourif, the cast is pretty decent (though their performances aren't anything special). What really sells the film is the animatronic work that's done to bring Chucky to life. By the end, the doll feels like a real character with deadly menace, and is a significant threat. Child's Play has some problems overcoming the corniness of its premise, but it ends up succeeding and offers some frightening chills.

"That rug really tied the room together, did it not?" The Big Lebowski stands as one of the best Coen brothers' films, and quickly became a beloved cult classic. It's a clever take on the film noir genre, and is full of dark humor and interesting characters that feel authentic in a strange way. Leading this spectacular ensemble cast of immensely entertaining and eccentric characters are Jeff Bridges and John Goodman; both of whom give outstanding performances. The story is a wild adventure that's all about the journey. The Big Lebowski is a phenomenal film that just gets better and better every time you watch it. The Dude abides.