All hail James Cameron - King of the Box Office! Fire and Ash will likely be the highest grossing movie of the year, and could be Cameron’s fourth to crack 2 billion. This isn’t just a blockbuster - it’s a cinematic event. This sequel isn’t short on flaws, but Cameron has delivered another truly epic theatrical experience that overshadows the film’s shortcomings. Here’s where my inner critic and fun-loving moviegoer clash. I can’t ignore how frequently the film recycles elements from the previous instalments. It’s another iteration of “Evil human military wants to mine a foreign planet for resources, while native species must fight back”. The final battle is damn near identical to Way of Water’s climax. The dialogue is also really cringy at times (I lost count of how many times I heard the word bro). On the other hand, I can’t deny what a blast I had on a purely visceral level. I saw this in D-Box 3D, giddy as a kid on Christmas, being whipped around in my seat for 3 hours....
There’s something pure in seeing the healing nature of art and how it helps people through tough times — but watching a character embrace stand-up comedy means both the audience within the movie and the audience of the film, as in us, gets to laugh, if the movie’s well-written enough. Is This Thing On? hits all the right notes thanks to its funny and vulnerable script and pitch-perfect casting of its two leads. Will Arnett gives far and away the most wonderful performance of his career, never letting his signature goofiness get in the way of something raw and delicate. The way he finds joy through a new hobby, and many who find that comedy puts just a little beneath his wings, feels so cinematic. Laura Dern is terrific and gives so much to the character’s complexity, and at times the story is very much her own. Cooper’s direction knows when to be showy and when to close in very intimately, while the script does a great job portraying the complexities of love, even as...