Star Wars: Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker
The Rise of Skywalker is a bit like the final season of “Game of Thrones”: it restlessly tries to tie up all of its loose ends in its finale without allowing for the proper...
The Rise of Skywalker is a bit like the final season of “Game of Thrones”: it restlessly tries to tie up all of its loose ends in its finale without allowing for the proper...
2010s / Action / Adventure / Thriller / War
by Vincent Leo · Published March 17, 2019 · Last modified March 18, 2019
After a nearly five-year hiatus from writing and directing films (with the exception of his untimely departure from Deepwater Horizon) , J.C. Chandor re-emerges with Triple Frontier (not the best title, taking its name from, according...
2010s / Adventure / Drama / Horror / Science Fiction / Thriller
by Vincent Leo · Published August 1, 2018
Written and directed by Alex Garland (Ex Machina), who very loosely adapts the acclaimed Jeff VanderMeer ‘Southern Reach trilogy’ novel of the same name, Annihilation continues the sophomore auteur’s string of challenging genre films that provoke...
2010s / Action / Fantasy / Science Fiction
by Vincent Leo · Published December 21, 2017 · Last modified July 13, 2018
Rian Johnson (Looper, The Brothers Bloom) takes over the reigns of the venerable franchise for one film in between the two helmed by J.J. Abrams and crafts a successful outing, continuing from the last moment...
2010s / Action / Fantasy / Science Fiction / Superhero
by Vincent Leo · Published May 23, 2016 · Last modified July 10, 2018
For a film which gives a sideways swipe to the much maligned X-Men: The Last Stand by the comment within the film, after some of the characters are seen walking out a screening of Return of the...
2010s / Action / Fantasy / Science Fiction
by Vincent Leo · Published December 18, 2015 · Last modified July 4, 2018
J.J. Abrams (Star Trek, Into Darkness) strips away the lumbering effect of the Star Wars prequels and gets back to the golly-gee-whiz action-fantasy we’ve all come to know and love from the original Star Wars (aka A New Hope), and while...
2010s / Drama / Science Fiction / Thriller
by Vincent Leo · Published April 25, 2015 · Last modified August 1, 2018
Esteemed screenwriter Alex Garland (Dredd, Sunshine) writes and directs (his first) this fascinating science fiction drama, which plays like a futuristic chamber piece about reality, fantasy, truth, manipulation, deception, humanity and lack thereof. To avoid...
Set in New York in 1981 (its most violent year, naturally), Abel Morales (Isaac, The Two Faces of January) is an up-and-coming fuel distributor looking to close the deal on some prime property to give...
Many questions emerge shortly after walking out of a viewing of Sucker Punch. Perhaps the first and foremost one is, “What the *bleep* was that all about?” There may be a few more thoughts that...
Reviews from film writer Vince Leo, covering all eras and genres of films from classics to the latest releases.
Film reviews from Vince Leo, from classics to new releases, since 1996.