Believe the hype, ‘Avengers: Infinity War’ is Marvel’s crown jewel

“Avengers: Infinity War” – “What is your name?”  “What is your quest?” –  The Bridgekeeper, “Monty Python and the Holy Grail” (1975) In this classic comedy from the mid-70s, King Arthur (Graham Chapman) and his Knights of the Round Table set out for a most arduous and seemingly impossible adventure: to find the Holy Grail in arguably the crown jewel of the Monty Python big screen collection. For 10 years, the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) has been building towards “Avengers: Infinity War”, its 19th picture in the staggeringly successful series.  After…

Surprises prove invaluable in ‘$30 to Antarctica’

“$30 to Antarctica” – If someone mentions Antarctica, what is the first word that comes to mind?  Cold, perhaps?  These days, it unfortunately could be melting as well. Even though many of us have seen pictures or video of the world’s most southern continent, actually experiencing this mysterious locale in person might conjure different words such as unexpected and inspiring. Writer/director Joey Chu’s documentary short “$30 to Antarctica” – featured at the 2018 Phoenix Film Festival – is also unexpected and inspiring.  As the doc unfolds, we realize that only…

‘Super Troopers 2’ is worth the wait

“Super Troopers 2” – More often than not, comedy sequels are not as funny as the originals, and one can point to many, many examples.  This is not a universal law, like the inevitability of death, taxes and hitting every red light when running late, but the list of films is lengthy. “Airplane II: The Sequel” (1982), “Ghostbusters II” (1989), “Grumpier Old Men” (1995), “Meet the Fockers” (2004), and “The Hangover Part II” (2011) are just a few that semi-infamously stand out. Regardless of the script, movie audiences can still…