Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is a brilliant tale of redemption, rebellion and resurrection, as the original Star Wars story cycle comes to a satisfying conclusion with this ninth installment. Rise, which opens Friday, is a bit long at 2.22 hours, but director and co-writer J.J. Abrams creates a welcome Christmas package that wraps up decades of stories and dangling … [Read more...]
The Sanctum Sangiacomo: He Wrote THAT, too?
To most comic readers, the writers of the books they love are faceless and formless. This is fine; the writer’s works should stand alone. In the case of J. Michael Straczynski, it turns out that the challenge that is his life is the most riveting story of all. Becoming Superman is the frightening real story of a man who was constantly beaten and abused by his … [Read more...]
The Sanctum Sangiacomo: Ad Astra, Ad Patrem
Ad Astra may span light years of space and time, but the bottom line is that the movie is a story about a world-destroying mystery and a hero with deep-rooted daddy issues. The movie, which opens Friday, is ostensibly about an astronaut asked to travel to the end of our solar system to stop a force that has been used to disrupt electrical activity, a galactic … [Read more...]
Sanctum Sangiacomo: Places, Everyone
SPOILER ALERT! Read the latest Justice League and Superman books if you want to be surprised. Otherwise, read on. No, seriously. Scroll elsewhere if you’re spoiler-averse. Last warning! Scroll at your own risk! Ha! That wasn’t the last warning! This is the last warning! Okay, then. It’s all on you from here on out. FINALLY, the Justice Society of America is … [Read more...]
The Sanctum Sangiacomo: “Ready or Not” Isn’t Child’s Play
Ready or not, movie-goers! Ready or Not successfully marries horror with a slight tinge of humor, just enough to take the edge off a really violent film that rates about 5 on the Quentin Tarantino Blood Splatter Scale. Not for the squeamish, or for anyone looking for a serious film, Ready or Not is a well-written survival story that pits a resourceful, independent young … [Read more...]