About Michelle Ealey

Man of Steel tries to tell an interesting origin story, but gives us a mess instead. The film is inconsistent with its rules, spends too much time explaining everything, and takes too long to tell an origin story.

Stories about the relationship between fathers and sons are not new, but After Earth tries to put a new spin on the tale by setting the story 1000 years into the future. Starring Will Smith and his son, Jaden, After Earth wastes a lot of resources on a convoluted backstory and a predictable plot.

Fast & Furious 6 is full of humor and frenetic, full throttle action. While Fast 6 will please fans, the story tries to bring all of the loose ends in the Fast series together, which might leave some new fans feeling lost.

Now You See Me relies on a stellar cast and a pace that doesn’t leave room for a dull moment. This delightful caper is polished, thrilling, and mesmerizing with twists and turns that keep your attention throughout the entire film.

Star Trek Into Darkness isn’t a bad movie, but it’s not great either; it does satisfy the criteria for those new to the franchise, those whose first experience with Star Trek was the 2009 film. The film is sleek, has chase scenes, shootouts, and big explosions. It’s a high-octane thrill ride and it’s funny, but it lacks the soul that makes Star Trek special.

Baz Luhrmann’s adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s classic, The Great Gatsby, is an opulent retelling of the story, capturing the glitzy indulgence of the 1920s jazz scene and the cruel brutality stirring in the shadows. Luhrmann and his cast create a film that stands on its own while being faithful to the novel.

Iron Man 3 continues the tale of Tony Stark (Robert Downey, Jr.) as Iron Man, tracing his evolution from cocky, wise-cracking selfish playboy to cocky, wise-cracking armor-wearing hero. With no origin story to bog it down, Iron Man 3 is free to be the ultimate superhero movie and easily the best in the series.

Set in the year 2077, Oblivion is a stylish sci-fi film that crams all of the action and plot development into the last half of the movie. Filled with stunning special effects and cinematography, Oblivion takes too long to gain traction, and when it finally does, the revelations climax to a predictable ending. Read More

42 is based on the life of Jackie Robinson, the first black professional baseball player in the United States. A strong cast, led by Chadwick Boseman and Harrison Ford, anchors the film, which is both a love letter to the game of baseball and a harsh reminder that our society had institutional racism less than 70 years ago.

Evil Dead is a remake of Sam Raimi’s 1981 classic. The film, directed by Fede Alvarez, stays close to the source material, but this version lacks suspension and the quirky charm of the original. Evil Dead wants to be a gorier outing than the original, but it’s not, and the absence of a charismatic lead makes the film feel like an exercise in mimicry instead of the creation of something new. Read More

I guide the protagonist of The Bridge, an older gentleman, to a wall. The character can’t jump, but he obviously needs to get to the door, which is on a higher ledge. To get him to the door, I turn the world; the wall becomes the floor, and I’m able to lead him to the door. This is the world of The Bridge, the first game from developer Ty Taylor. The Bridge is a 2D puzzle game that mixes the physics of Isaac Newton and the mind-bending architecture of M.C. Escher. The art, beautifully done by Mario Castaneda, is in the style of black-and-white lithographs, giving the game an otherworldly yet realistic feel. According to Newton, objects in motion tend to stay in motion, and in the game this is true. The Menace, a large ball that smiles and frowns, is heavy, so once it starts barreling towards the protagonist, you have to turn the world, finessing the world so its pieces go where you want them to. Each object in The Bridge has its own weight and properties, and the adherence to Newtonian physics throughout the game impressed me. Intrigued by the game, I contacted Ty Taylor, and we discussed The Bridge by email.

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What makes us who we are? Are we just a collection of memories? If we are taken over by another entity, do we just disappear? These are the issues brought up in The Host, a film based on the novel by Stephenie Meyer and written and directed by Andrew Niccol. While the film wants to spend time exploring these topics, the film gets bogged down by a love triangle. Read More