Michael B. Jordan has arrived, at least for those who haven’t watched films in either the Creed or Black Panther franchises. For many, Jordan first arrived with his breakout role in Ryan Coogler’s 2013 film Fruitvale Station, the true story of Oscar Grant, a 22-year-old black man who is on the straight and narrow with his girlfriend and young after spending time in prison, only to be caught up in a 2008 altercation following a night that ended in tragedy after watching New Year’s Eve fireworks in San Frnacisco that ended in tragedy. Jordan’s sympathetic performance as a man wronged by a system that seemed determined to persecute him before knowing all the facts leaves the viewer feeling angry and distraught at the film’s conclusion. It could have earned Jordan his first Academy Award nomination. Twelve years later, he is still searching for that Oscar nomination that will add him to an exclusive list of Hollywood’s elite.
Category Archives: Horror
The Long Walk (2025)
Sometimes it’s tough not to recommend a good movie. While there are exceptions to the rule, they are rare. Francis Lawrence’s (Red Sparrow, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 1) adaptation of Stephen King’s 1966 novel The Long Walk is one of those. I imagine his book wasn’t overly controversial when it was published, particularly given that media, such as novels, didn’t have the same reach they do now. Likewise, Stephen King was still a relative unknown. In fact, he wrote this novel under the pseudonym Richard Bachman. That is all to say that a work of fiction that dealt with something as dire as this story’s plot likely wouldn’t have seen the light of day. Nonetheless, once King earned the “King of Horror” nickname, his bloodthirsty fans would undoubtedly search for and find his earlier works.
28 Years Later (2025)
When director Danny Boyle (Slumdog Millionaire, 127 Hours) and screenwriter Alex Garland (Ex Machina, Civil War) teamed up for the 2002 film 28 Days Later, little did we know what a cultural phenomenon this under-the-radar, “Zombie if they were infected with Rabies” story filmed on an $8 million budget would become. Nor did we know just how well Boyle and Garland would complement each other, as director and screenwriter, respectively. Having become a timeless film that ignited a quarter century of zombie fiction movies, television shows, books, and video games, 28 Days Later modernized this horror sub-genre with its “what if the infected zombies moved at warped speed rather than at a snail’s pace” question.
28 Weeks Later (2007)
28 Weeks Later, the sequel to the box office success and critically acclaimed 28 Days Later (2002), directed by Juan Carlos Fresnadillo (Intruders), seemed like it was destined for failure before it even began. With the relative newcomer replacing the seasoned Danny Boyle in the director’s chair and without the help of screenwriter Alex Garland, 28 Weeks Later could have easily been looked at as a cash grab, looking to earn a quick buck off of name association alone, while coming at the expense of a lesser story or one that was poorly executed. However, that was far from the case. While not as crisp or innovative as the original, 28 Weeks Later quickly established itself within the franchise, while also becoming a standalone film in its own right. Continue reading 28 Weeks Later (2007)
28 Days Later (2002)
The moviegoer is in for a treat each time when either Danny Boyle or Alex Garland is involved in a project. Whether it be Boyle with a timeless filmography of directing credits that include Sunshine, Trainspotting, Slumdog Millionaire, and 127 Hours, or Garland’s vision with outside-the-box, ahead-of-his-time instant classics, such as Annihilation, Ex Machina, or Civil War, you can be confident you will be thinking of the film long after its view. 28 Days Later was the first time the two teamed up (Boyle as director, Garland as screenwriter). They struck a perfect accord of a tense, suspenseful, and foreboding film, painting a grim picture of what humanity could look like under the direst of circumstances.