Written by Patrick Hao There is something cynical about meta-commentary about modern conglomerate cinema’s obsession with IP-driven content. A trend with films like “The Lego Movie,” “Ready Player One,” and “Space Jam: A New Legacy," all about loving and preserving … Continue reading.
Category: Patrick Hao
Firestarter
Written by Patrick Hao You can tell this was written during Stephen King’s prime drug years. The original novel came out during the height of government paranoia and the unveiling of government experiments like Project MK Ultra. The updated version … Continue reading.
Operation Mincemeat
Written by Patrick Hao “Operation Mincemeat” is a handsome, respectable, slightly boring, light British drama – the type of movie that is designed to win awards at the AARP Movies for Grown-ups awards. Directed by John Madden, the veteran British … Continue reading.
Episode 127: X / Morbius / Everything Everywhere All at Once
On Episode 127 of Drink in the Movies Taylor is joined by Patrick Hao to discuss First Impressions of: "Tokyo Vice" & "Vortex." Followed by a discussion of the new releases: "X," "Morbius," and "Everything Everywhere All at Once."… Continue reading.
Memory
Written by Patrick Hao ...mixed with an actual steady hand director like Martin Campbell, the director of “Mask of Zorro” and “Casino Royale”, “Memory" felt like it would be a slam dunk. It is disappointing then that… Continue reading.
The Bad Guys
Written by Patrick Hao Character models are less focused on realism and more on expressiveness. The humor, similarly, has begun taking a more comic slapstick feel, less reliant on references to pop culture like DreamWorks films of old, but more … Continue reading.
SIFF 2022: The Duke
Written by Patrick Hao Perfectly agreeable good time at the movies. That is how I would describe “The Duke” and most of the films in Roger Michell’s filmography. The director of breezy light populist dramas such as “Notting Hill,”… Continue reading.
Return to Space
Written by Patrick Hao The directing duo of Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin are interesting figures to direct a movie about SpaceX. With films like “Free Solo” and “The Rescue,” they are no strangers to documenting real-life stories about … Continue reading.
Father Stu
Written by Patrick Hao It's easy to see what Mark Wahlberg sees in Father Stuart Long as a film subject. Like Wahlberg, Long comes from familiar blue-collar working-class roots, with a checkered past, marked by violence and profanity. Since then, … Continue reading.
Sonic the Hedgehog 2
Written by Patrick Hao Schwartz brings an exuberance to his voice role, and all the human side characters shine as brightly as they can. But there are just too many pieces for “Sonic the Hedgehog 2” to become a satisfying … Continue reading.