This article originally appeared on Lit To Lens on Sept. 27, 2016. There’s something about The Magnificent Seven that’s not quite right. Directed by Antoine Fuqua on a script from Richard Wenk and Nic Pizzolatto (!), the film stars Denzel Washington, Chris Pratt, Ethan Hawke, and Lee Byung-hun. It’s ferocious as hell. The body count is tremendous. Everything works. … Continue reading ‘The Magnificent Seven’ – Movie Review
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‘Blade Runner 2049’ – Movie Review
This article originally appeared on Lit To Lens on Oct. 10, 2017. Spoilers to follow The new Blade Runner film does what all good sequels do: it takes the world built in previous installments and blows it open. First, some thoughts: like everyone else, I love the production design and cinematography. Viewers will be totally and completely … Continue reading ‘Blade Runner 2049’ – Movie Review
‘Battle of the Sexes’ – Movie Review
This article originally appeared on Lit To Lens on Oct. 5, 2017. The thing about “Battle of the Sexes” is that, no matter who you are, you’re going to like it. It’s a friendly, approachable film: inoffensive, you might say. That’s not a criticism as much as a lament. It’s a well-made, well-acted period piece, but it … Continue reading ‘Battle of the Sexes’ – Movie Review
‘Baby Driver’ – Movie Review
This article originally appeared on Lit To Lens on July. 17, 2017. They call me Baby Driver, And once upon a pair of wheels, I hit the road and I’m gone, What’s my number? I wonder how your engines feel. So goes the chorus of Simon & Garfunkel’s “Baby Driver,” from which Edgar Wright’s new film clearly … Continue reading ‘Baby Driver’ – Movie Review
‘Shakespeare in Love’ – Movie Review
This article originally appeared on Lit To Lens on July. 15, 2017. Hollywood addresses the same great question every few years: how to make writers and the act of writing interesting? It’s a strange impulse, because watching the true writing process is tremendously dull. Hours, sometimes days, of fits and starts; good and god-awful writing; self-hatred and … Continue reading ‘Shakespeare in Love’ – Movie Review
Erik Payne 