A Note on Logan Noir

I wanted to include this segment in my Logan piece, but because it was already longer than my usual review and because I could not fit this organically anywhere, I am making a separate space for it.

As Logan's home media release drew near, director James Mangold announced on Twitter that he and his team were working on a black-and-white cut of the film. There was no particular reason for it; it was just a treat in the same vein of the Mad Max: Fury Road-- Black and Chrome Edition release. Except for the fact Logan was never intended to be black and white (or a noir, for that matter). When I bought it on Blu-Ray, I made sure to get the copy that included Logan Noir, if only to say I saw it.

"Logan" Continues to Reinvent the Wheel

March's Logan was an important film for a number of reasons. For one, it signaled the end of the run of Hugh Jackman as Wolverine. This was significant because ever since 2000's X-Men, Jackman had become the face of the new age of superhero cinema. Sure, Spider-Man and Nolan's Batman films were pivotal to the superhero ship staying afloat, but X-Men made sure there was a boat to be on after the last one sank with Schumacher's Batman movies and before the Marvel Cinematic Universe created a juggernaut. For long-time fans, they finally got to see a bloody, gritty, and raw version of Ol' Per-SNIKT-ity himself go at it. But I think most importantly, Logan showed the inspired direction the X-Men film franchise will continue to go down.

Rated R for strong brutal violence and language throughout, and for brief nudity

"Annabelle: Creation" Brings Memorable Terror and Iffy Characters

In truth, dear reader, I was terrified. For much of the movie, my knees were shaking. I covered my face in fright with my sweatshirt (but only partially so that I could still see in order to review the film). I hoped halfway through that my bladder wouldn't freak out later as much as I was then. And after it was over, you bet your bottom dollar that I slept with the lights on after reading some good Jesus books. Oh yes, Annabelle: Creation is effective and frightening, a worthy installment in The Conjuring franchise.

Rated R for horror violence and terror