The drama surrounding DC’s first attempt at a cinematic superhero universe is well-documented and going over the ins and outs of its rise and fall would take forever. In a nutshell, DC was put in the hands of Zack Snyder who attempted to do something to distinguish DC from its well-established competition at Marvel. The results were pretty great, that is until Snyder had the keys taken away in an effort to mirror Marvel’s success rather than offer a contrast to it. From there things fell apart pretty quickly.

Now DC is trying again by bringing in Marvel and DC alum James Gunn to head an entire reboot of their properties. For many of us, Gunn wasn’t the most encouraging choice considering his previous swings at franchise superhero movies (“Guardians of the Galaxy”, “The Suicide Squad”) were team-based stories laced with heavy amounts of humor. How that would translate to running a full-scale cinematic universe would be anyone’s guess.

Gunn kicks off his tenure by writing and directing DC’s signature character, Superman. Once again, Gunn isn’t the first person I would expect to be handed the keys to the iconic Man of Steel. But as a fan of the character and DC overall, I went in hopeful for a movie that would do him justice and get the DC Universe off on the right foot. Unfortunately, “Superman” quickly turns into a frustrating and often baffling mix of missteps and shortcuts.

“Superman” is riddled with nagging issues that include an overstuffed story, underdeveloped characters, head-scratching plot contrivances, and some needless liberties with the lore that fail to have the impact intended. Even worse, at times the movie feels as if it’s made for fans of James Gunn rather than fans of Superman. From the overly jokey tone to cameos featuring several of his buddies, you can often see Gunn more focused on putting his stamp on the property than telling a great Superman story.

Gunn starts by bypassing the origin stuff which most of us know by heart. His story is set three years after Superman (David Corenswet) first revealed himself to Earth. Apparently his most amazing feats happened in that three-year window prior to the events of the movie. I say that because we don’t get to see any of them. Instead we spend most of the time watching Superman getting beaten to a pulp. In fact, the very first scene has him crashing down after being destroyed by a metahuman working for billionaire Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult).

Speaking of Lex, here Superman’s powerful archenemy is turned into an underwritten brat whose motives are murky at best and incoherent at worse. Lex is already in a position of enormous power and influence, although how he got there is all but avoided. What we do learn is that he’s an arms dealer, he may be involved in a budding war between two neighboring nations, and he has a petty (masked as maniacal) hatred for Superman. Lex somehow has massive pull within the United States government and he can somehow sway public opinion just by appearing on a corny talk show.

Of course a big part of Superman’s story involves his life as Clark Kent. He’s once again a reporter at the Daily Planet alongside Lois Lane (Rachel Brosnahan). The movie begins with the two already romantically involved and with Lois aware of Clark’s superhero identity. Sadly their relationship doesn’t go anywhere beyond what we’ve seen before. Meanwhile the Daily Planet crew features such familiar names as editor-in-chief Perry White (Wendell Pierce), the busty Cat Grant (Mikaela Hoover), and Jimmy Olsen (Skyler Gisondo) who’s shackled to one of the film’s weirdest and most underdeveloped angles.

Adding to the assembly line of characters are three super-powered metahumans, Guy Gardner AKA Green Lantern (Nathan Fillion), Mr. Terrific (Edi Gathegi), and Hawkgirl (Isabela Merced). Guy calls them the “Justice Gang” which becomes a running joke that quickly runs out of gas. Nothing about them as a team seems thought out past the comic bits Gunn squeezes out of them. Only Mr. Terrific gets any meaningful time to semi-develop.

There are several other problems that are at least worth mentioning. There are some wonky digital effects. Nearly all the stakes come across as manufactured rather than organic. There is a surprising lack of emotion throughout the movie. Ma and Pa Kent are thrown in for sentimental effect but are glaringly inconsequential. Most of humanity are inadvertently depicted as insanely dumb and gullible. Even Krypto the dog is fumbled. He should be a cheap and easy way to get reactions from the audience. But Gunn doesn’t know when to let off the gas, and the CGI dog’s cutesy comic relief gets a bit old.

It pains me to say, but James Gunn’s “Superman” misses nearly every mark it aims for. And there are A LOT of marks as Gunn spends most of his time throwing ideas onto the screen rather than having them make sense within a cohesive story. He even takes an ax to some long-established lore only to get nothing out of it. Meanwhile the performances are simply fine, with no one being either terrific or terrible. To be fair, it’s no fault of the cast. It’s the writing and direction that lets them down.

Going back to my comic book days, I’ve long been a bigger fan of DC than Marvel. So much so that even with my concerns, I was willing to receive a new Man of Steel with open arms. But “Superman” is a disappointing reinvention of an iconic character so many love. In fact, calling this iteration “SUPERman” seems incredibly generous. Gunn’s attempts at capturing the essence of the character while shaping a new Superman in his image will probably payoff at the box office. But it’s hardly the fitting reintroduction this DC Comics pillar deserves. “Superman” is in theaters now.

VERDICT – 2 STARS

The “Tales” animated series has been a welcomed surprise to the ever-growing catalog of Star Wars canonical content. Created by Dave Filoni, each season of the short-form animated series consists of six episodes that explore two different story arcs. It debuted in 2022 with “Tales of the Jedi” which added backstory to prequel-era characters Ahsoka Tano and Count Dooku. The next installment was 2024’s “Tales of the Empire” which focused on the more deeply rooted Morgan Elsbeth and Barriss Offee.

The “Tales” series is very much aimed at heavily invested Star Wars fans. Ahsoka and Dooku are fairly well known names and both have established histories within the franchise. Their season had a broader appeal that could reach most levels of fandom. But “Tales of the Empire” honed in on more obscure characters with fewer connections for more casual fans. That didn’t bother me a bit. But for those less obsessed than I admittingly am, Season Two was a challenge (in addition to having one noticeably stronger arc than the other).

The new season, “Tales of the Underworld” finds itself somewhere in the middle. It highlights two Filoni fan favorites who will be foreign to those only familiar with the Star Wars movies. But if you’re a fan of Star Wars animation, you’ve undoubtedly heard of Asajj Ventress and Cad Bane. Ventress (voiced by Nika Futterman) was a one-time Jedi who turned to the Dark Side before eventually leaving the Sith to become a bounty hunter. Cad Bane (voiced by Corey Burton) was a ruthless bounty hunter and perpetual thorn in the Republic’s side during the Clone Wars.

The first three episodes are dedicated to Asajj Ventress and opens with a deep-cut that will thrill the most ardent of lore hounds (especially fans of Christie Golden’s 2015 novel “Star Wars: Dark Disciple”). Episode One begins with Quinlan Vos and Obi-Wan Kenobi returning a deceased Ventress back to her home planet of Dathomir. They leave after placing her body in a burial pool, but soon after she is resurrected by the spirits of the Nightsisters. From there the arc follows her life off the grid where she unexpectedly takes in a young Jedi on the run.

The next three episodes give us the origin story of Cad Bane. It begins by showing his life as a young orphan roaming the crime-riddled streets of Duro with his best friend Niro. The two are lured into helping a charismatic gangster named Laszlo. But during a job the two friends are separated. Cad escapes with Laszlo while Niro is arrested. Years later the two are reunited but on opposite sides of the law leading to a confrontation that will have a lasting impact on the future bounty hunter.

Both stories are equally compelling while also being quite different. The Ventress arc feels like a new chapter with an open-ended conclusion to be picked up later. It adds some new shades to Ventress who we last saw in the final season of “The Bad Batch”. Bane’s arc is every bit of an origin story that does a good job setting the table for the character he would become. Borrowing from classic spaghetti westerns and (more specifically) 1952’s beloved “High Noon”, Filoni and screenwriter Matt Michnovetz craft a rich and surprisingly mature arc.

As we’ve come to expect, “Tales of the Underworld” features crisp animation that stays true to Lucasfilm’s distinct and established style. The voice acting and sound design remains top notch while the storytelling expands the lore surrounding its two characters although in distinctly different ways. Again, there’s a chance of this only appealing to its core audience which I consider myself a part of. For others, finding connections could prove to be a chore. But I’m still glad things like this exist, adding depth to the already weighty Galaxy Far, Far Away.

VERDICT – 4 STARS

Kudos to Warner Bros. Pictures. They have hit all the right notes in promoting their latest big release, “Sinners”. Now for many of us, the reteaming of writer-director Ryan Coogler and actor Michael B. Jordan was the only selling point we needed. But the studio made their latest collaboration even more enticing with a pair of killer trailers and a series of brilliant posters. Best of all, “Sinners” absolutely delivers, often in ways I never expected.

What makes “Sinners” even more appetizing (especially for genre fans like me) is the crazy way it mixes the arthouse with the grindhouse. It’s a richly imagined movie dripping with cultural flavor and possessing a keen sense of time and place. It’s also a movie with a lot on its mind, using fairly obvious metaphors to make some equally obvious points. At the same time, “Sinners” turns into a blood-bathed vampire movie reminiscent of Robert Rodriguez’s “From Dusk till Dawn”.

Many will be surprised by how much time Coogler puts into building up his story and his characters. Well over half of the movie focuses on introducing characters, defining relationships, and immersing us in the vibrant period setting. By far this is when the movie is at its strongest. It’s a much different story for the inevitable payoff. The final siege is fittingly bloody and chaotic. But it’s also rushed – at times frantically edited and lacking logic in spots.

Set in Jim Crow-era 1932, the story takes place over the course of an eventful 24 hours in the rural town of Clarksville, Mississippi. Jordan mesmerizes with his dual lead performances. He plays Smoke and Stack, identical twin brothers who return to their hometown after some time in Chicago where they hustled, ran prostitution rings, and killed for mob boss Al Capone. With a pocket full of cash, Smoke and Stack buy an old mill from a shady businessman believed by some to have ties with the Ku Klux Klan. The brothers plan on turning the mill into a blues-centered juke joint, custom-made for the local black community.

The twins waste no time getting ready for their big opening night, hiring several local friends to chip in. They get food and a sign from a Chinese couple who owns a local grocery store, Grace and Bo Chow (played by Li Jun Li and Yao). Smoke convinces his estranged wife Annie (Wunmi Mosaku) to cook. They hire the brawny Cornbread (Omar Benson Miller) to man the door. Aged blues musician Delta Slim agrees to handle the music. And they bring along their young cousin Sammie (Miles Caton), a talented guitar player who dreams of becoming a blues singer despite the wishes of his preacher father.

As the joint opens and the raucous party gets underway, a few more key characters enter the mix. Namely the sultry Pearline (Jayme Lawson), a married woman who Sammie is instantly attracted to, and Mary (Hailee Steinfeld), a white woman who has a special relationship with Stack. Coogler infuses the club scenes with a raw yet infectious energy, oscillating between harmonious to hedonistic. The music soon becomes the centerpiece and it remains a key piece of the story throughout.

But the night takes a turn with the appearance of Remmick (Jack O’Connell), a smooth-talking Irish immigrant who says he was drawn to their shindig by Sammie’s hypnotic singing. In reality, Remmick is hiding a vicious secret. He and his two companions are actually vampires and he desperately wants inside to join the party. But if you’re remotely familiar with vampire movies, you know the rules. A bloodsucker can’t enter unless they’re invited. And that sets up a cultural/supernatural standoff that really ramps up the tension.

From the very start, it’s hard not to be absorbed in the period Coogler recreates. The locations, production design, costumes – it all feeds the movie’s striking authenticity. It’s all captured through Autumn Durald Arkapaw’s alluring lensing and surrounded by the scintillating music from Oscar-winning composer Ludwig Göransson. And everything is enhanced by the performances from a truly superb ensemble. It all begins and ends with Jordan who brings distinct intensity and personality to both Smoke and Stack.

But it’s Coogler’s uninhibited style and craftsmanship that makes “Sinners” a soulful, sumptuous, sexy, and sinister experience all its own. His story is rich and layered while his characters are fully formed and often complex with most living up to the film’s title. Yet while Coogler’s statements on America’s history are clear and insightful, some of his other points remain hazier and less impactful. Still, “Sinners” shows why Ryan Coogler is such an important filmmaker. And it once again shows the kind of magic he can muster whenever he connects with Michael B. Jordan.”Sinners” is in theaters now.

VERDICT – 4 STARS

It has been nearly six years since a new Star Wars movie has been released on the big screen. During its absence, the Galaxy Far, Far Away has made a temporary shift to streaming television – a move that has resulted in several highs and a few unfortunate lows. Arguably its biggest misfire was last year’s “The Acolyte”, a mess of a series surrounded by outside noise but with significant flaws that stood out despite the ongoing drama.

For reasons that are completely unfair, following right behind “The Acolyte” was an unenviable spot for any new series. Such was the scenario for “Skeleton Crew”, a new Star Wars installment from the creative minds of Jon Watts and Christopher Ford. Sadly it seems “Skeleton Crew” felt the effects of its streaming predecessor, falling below the viewership numbers of every previous Star Wars series. That’s unfortunate because there’s a lot to like about this charming and spirited adventure.

“Skeleton Crew” is every bit a coming-of-age tale that takes its inspiration from such classic kid-driven 80s movies as “The Goonies”, “E.T.”, and “Explorers”. It’s also very much a Star Wars adventure, albeit one that is very comfortable existing as a self-contained story. That’s not to say there aren’t things introduced that will explored in future Star Wars projects. “Skeleton Crew” features many things familiar to franchise fans and it expands established lore in some interesting ways. But it can also stand on its own with no trouble whatsoever.

Set roughly five years after the fall of the Galactic Empire, “Skeleton Crew” shares a point on the Star Wars timeline with other streaming series, most notably “The Mandalorian”. The story begins on the intentionally hidden planet of At Attin. Considered to be a myth by most in the galaxy, At Attin is shrouded by a huge gaseous cloud that gives it the appearance of a toxic and uninhabitable world.

But underneath is a peaceful and domesticated society with all the markings of a highly developed utopia. Its people live in comfortable, well-manicured subdivisions. The adults all contribute to something they call “The Great Work” while their children attend school until graduation after which they join their parents in their planetary duties. In reality, the people of At Attin have lived under a technocracy for generations. They are essentially a brain-washed workforce who believe their perceived safety and security is worth being cut off from the galaxy.

But it’s all disrupted by four curious kids, Wim (Ravi Cabot-Conyers), Fern (Ryan Kiera Armstrong), KB (Kyriana Kratter), and Neel (Robert Timothy Smith). They discover a buried hatch which Wim is convinced leads to a Jedi temple like the ones in his storybooks. But after opening the hatch the foursome quickly learn they’re in an old starship. And after some very kid-like antics, they accidentally trigger the auto-launch which rips the ship from the ground, sends it soaring through the defensive orbit, and racing through hyperspace.

From there the show turns into the kids trying to find their way back home. In the process, Watts and Ford whisks them (and us) away to under-explored reaches of the vast Star Wars galaxy. And in vintage Star Wars fashion, we’re introduced to a number of characters, none more compelling than a mysterious force-sensitive pirate named Jod Na Nawood (Jude Law). He takes the kids under his wing, agreeing to help them get home. But does his real interest lie in helping the kids or in discovering the secrets of At Attin?

The eight episodes are helmed by an interesting collection of directors. The strongest installments come from Star Wars regular Bryce Dallas Howard and Watts. The weakest come from the Oscar-winning duo the Daniels and also Watts. Filling out the group is David Lowery, Lee Isaac Chung, and Jake Schreier. Even with the slow-moving setup of the opener and a lone filler episode later on, the series builds a strong story arc and surrounds it with some solid worldbuilding.

Even better is the evolution of the characters. The four kids fit into some pretty familiar archetypes. There’s the starry-eyed dreamer, the assertive tough-talker, the all-business tech guru, and the timid but loyal best fried. But the performances are delightful and each character is a very different person by the story’s end. It also helps to have Jude Law – a stabilizing anchor who immediately feels right at home in the Galaxy Far, Far Away. “Skeleton Crew” is now streaming on Disney+.

VERDICT – 3.5 STARS

Finding something original in the densely populated horror genre isn’t easy. But writer, director, and co-star Vivian Kerr manages it in her compelling and character-rich horror drama “Séance”. Kerr mixes the supernatural with the psychological in framing her eerie Victorian era chamber piece. But at its core, “Séance” is a strikingly human relationship drama that lures us in with its chilling atmosphere before enthralling us in an unfolding story that would rather us think than jump out of our skin.

Kerr is no stranger to thoughtful character explorations as evident by her terrific 2022 film “Scrap”. With “Séance” she shows similar interests although with a deeper and more involving focus. Her latest centers around four complex people, each hiding their own emotional baggage behind fragile facades of happiness and contentment. But it’s not long before those thinly constructed walls start to crumble.

An extraordinary Scottie Thompson leads the film’s small but superb cast. She plays Emma Strand, a published novelist who is six months into her second marriage. She and her husband Albert (Connor Paolo) reside in Texas but have traveled to California for some vacation time on the beach. While there, the couple run into Emma’s first husband George Ford (Jilon VanOver) and his wife Lillian (played by Kerr). The rather awkward meeting leads to a dinner invitation which the Strands uncomfortably accept.

The rest of the film plays out in the Fords’ dimly lit, shadow-draped mansion which Lillian inherited from her late parents. Throughout its lean and efficient 85 minutes much is revealed about the characters, both as couples and individuals. Emma is exhausted by Albert’s constant doting and frustrated by his lack of intimacy. Albert has allowed his insecurities to impact his marriage, so much that he’s been keeping things from his wife.

As for the Fords, both are still reeling from the loss of their young daughter Hazel who tragically drowned eight months earlier. George has suppressed much of his grief, concentrating more on providing for his wife than dealing with his own sorrow. Lillian has had a much tougher time. She was with Hazel when the child died and the guilt has left her an emotional wreck. Now she’s convinced her daughter’s spirit is still present in their house and is trying to communicate with her.

Everything eventually comes to light after Emma and Albert agree to stay the night rather venture out into a torrential storm. More troubling truths are revealed and new tensions are exposed. To top it all off, Lillian convinces everyone to participate in a spooky séance complete with creaking floors, flickering lights, a shaky chandelier, and a levitating table. Though well executed, the séance seems a little out of the blue. But its importance becomes clear later on, even if everything about it isn’t fully explained.

But all in “Séance” comes back to its four flawed central characters. Kerr shrewdly unwraps them so that each manages to earn our sympathies and our reproach. But most importantly, she maintains their human pulse which enables us to understand their feelings and motivations, at least until final 15 minutes or so. Surround them with Kerr’s assured direction and you have a thematically rich, elegantly shot, and exquisitely acted dark mystery/relationship drama that’s focused more on the spirits within its characters than any haunting specter without.

VERDICT – 4 STARS