Tag: Mark L. Smith

Twisters (2024) | REVIEW

(L-R) Daisy Edgar-Jones, Anthony Ramos, and Glen Powell in TWISTERS — PHOTO: Universal Pictures / Warner Bros. Pictures (Still image from trailers).

Directed by Lee Isaac Chung — Screenplay by Mark L. Smith — Story by Joseph Kosinski.

Reportedly, one of the first (if not actually the first) films to be released on the DVD format was Jan De Bont’s disaster classic Twister. The Dutch cinematographer-turned-film director delivered a genuine hit about a fear of the uncontrollable power of Mother Nature, and, now twenty-eight years later, it finally has a sequel. Twisters is one of this year’s big summer movie releases, and it has somewhat of an unlikely filmmaker in the director’s chair. Twisters has been made by the award-winning and critically acclaimed director of the American Dream/immigration film titled Minari, Lee Isaac Chung. Though perhaps a surprising choice of filmmaker, rest assured that the end product more than lives up to the original and that he has done his best to infuse the film with a human story at the center so that it isn’t all about CGI tornados.

Continue reading “Twisters (2024) | REVIEW” →

REVIEW: The Midnight Sky (2020)

The Midnight Sky, Still Image
‘The Midnight Sky,’ Still Image — Photo: Philippe Antonello / Netflix.

Directed by George Clooney — Screenplay by Mark L. Smith.

I don’t think I have a favorite genre, per se, but, it is true that I usually am a sucker for science-fiction. It is probably the genre that I find the most interesting, and, whenever a new film is on its way, I do get excited about what new ambitious story is about to be told. George Clooney is no stranger to science-fiction and space films since he has appeared in films such as Steven Soderbergh’s Solaris, Brad Bird’s Tomorrowland, and, possibly most memorably, Alfonso Cuarón’s incredible Gravity. Due to Clooney’s own experience with the genre, I was very interested in seeing what kind of story he had planned to tell with The Midnight Sky, which he both starred in and directed. Unfortunately, it ended up being a bit of a disappointment, for me. Continue reading “REVIEW: The Midnight Sky (2020)” →