James Wan

  • Review: ‘Aquaman’ is king of the DCEU (Includes first-hand account)

    DC has been trying to follow in Marvel’s cinematic footsteps for years, but they’ve been unable to find the same level of success. In spite of their television shows doing relatively well and gaining significant followings, their films have always been lacking. However, they may finally be moving in the right direction. Parts of Justice League were passable and Wonder Woman blew everything else they’d done out of the water. Now, after introducing several characters in the big screen team-up, it’s time for them to helm their standalone pictures. First up is the king of the sea, though that’s not his title when this movie starts — at first, he was just Aquaman.

  • Review: ‘The Conjuring 2’ is a master class in horror filmmaking (Includes first-hand account)

    The supernatural has always been a rich source of inspiration for horror movies. Regardless of whether it’s based on real, recorded accounts or if audiences believe in its existence, there is an inescapable creep factor related to an unknown plane of existence that can interact with our own; even more disturbing is the idea that many of these entities mean to inflict harm. There are enough exorcism and haunting pictures to comprise their own subgenre, but the best demonstrate a particular talent for portraying evil. The Conjuring 2 is an example of such skill.

  • Review: ‘Furious 7’ gives fans everything they want and then some (Includes first-hand account)

    When the first film premiered in 2001, there was a lot of uncertainty whether The Fast and the Furious would launch a successful franchise — a theory the second film did not do much to refute as it focused on only one-half of the dynamic duo that propelled the original. Though none of the early characters appear in the third film, The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift breathed new life into the franchise. The fourth film‘s reunion unleashed a can of NOS and it hasn’t slowed down since. In Furious 7, the story is looping in on itself and doing everything required of a successful series.