Joseph Beyer | Author
Film Review: Stan Lee
June 24, 2023
Not many people get to experience the God-like feeling of creating your own universe (or multiverse, as it became), but that’s exactly what happened to young Stanley Martin Lieber when he unexpectedly found himself running a comic book empire at the age of 17.
The whole true s…
Read More >>
Film Review: Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
June 10, 2023
From the first visually-hypnotizing frames and pulsing tones of the opening overture, the epic follow-up Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse had me spellbound. In fact, it may have made me believe again there is a reason to watch a movie on the largest screen possible.
Thin…
Read More >>
Film Review: Wild Life
May 27, 2023
The idea that you can become bolder, more creative, and more daring as you enter your last phase of life may seem counterintuitive, but 72-year-old environmental advocate Kristine “Kris” Tompkins shows us it’s possible in the new documentary Wild Life, a portrait …
Read More >>
Film Review: How to Blow Up a Pipeline
May 13, 2023
As another Earth Day has recently come and gone—with our only known inhabitable world in an even worse climate crisis than in the 1970s when the environmental holiday began—this critic found himself drawn to a flinty new independent film with a title as straightforward as the pl…
Read More >>
Film Review: Air
April 29, 2023
In the money-for-nothing world of the 1980s where Nike couldn’t give their kicks away for free, the proposition of throwing all their corporate soles into a single basket with a single basketball endorsement sounded crazy even to rebel Phil Knight, founder of Nike, a then-mocked newco…
Read More >>
Film Review: Pinball: The Man Who Saved the Game
April 15, 2023
You may not know it, but we live in a mini pinball mecca here in northern Michigan, with a vibrant underground culture of players and pinheads, tournaments, and cool arcades showcasing the full range of classic to contemporary machines and “action.” So when Scott Pierson (owner …
Read More >>
Film Review: Creed III
April 8, 2023
It was hard to imagine that a boxing film—one of cinema’s most predictable and enduring genres—could still hold surprises for audiences, but that’s exactly what happened in 2015 when a young director Ryan Coogler (Fruitvale Station and Black Panther…
Read More >>
Film Review: 80 for Brady
Feb. 18, 2023
If you’re tempted to fall for the marketing and take your mom, grandma, or bestie to 80 for Brady thinking that you’ll have a great time, let me try to run interference and encourage you to call an audible for something else.
While it’s clear that 80 f…
Read More >>
Feb. 4, 2023 In a recent Statista survey about movie-going frequency in the U.S., 41 percent of respondents say they now go to the movie theater “rarely.” So, for the very many Northern Express readers who would love to discover something amazing to watch at home, this critic highly…
Read More >>
Jan. 21, 2023 Why any critic who suffers from both robophobia (hatred of the robotic) and pediophobia (fear of dolls) would be excited about the uncanny valley that makes up the film M3GAN is hard to say, but audiences and I both seem solidly captivated by the latest psycho-mechanical thriller f…
Read More >>
Jan. 7, 2023 Opening on over 12,000 screens in today’s full cinematic array of DCP, IMAX, and IMAX 3D choices and flavors, James Cameron’s sequel Avatar: The Way of Water arrived in December after a 13-year wait. This critic fell for the visual hype and took 3D, which created the cl…
Read More >>
Dec. 24, 2022 From the title alone, it is clear that famed director Steven Spielberg’s highly personal, moving-image memoir, The Fabelmans, is not a biography per se, but a fantasy of a biography. And what the film reveals—up to the very tipping point of trauma but never over it&mdas…
Read More >>
Dec. 3, 2022 Revenge may not be a dish best served cold after all, at least if the piping hot temperature of director Mark Mylod’s delightful debut satire, The Menu, has anything to say about it. The organic and certified fresh thriller offers a full palette of themes, including t…
Read More >>
Nov. 19, 2022 You don’t need to be familiar with every hit in the canon of bizarro songs that combine pop with counterculture in Weird: The Al Yankovic Story in order to enjoy it, but if you are, this might become one of the favorite films of your Gen-X life. That’s not just …
Read More >>
Nov. 5, 2022 American writer and director Todd Field takes a Eurocentric approach to his cinematic stories, allowing a patient pace, hypnotic quiet, and highly nuanced actors to drive his narratives (In the Bedroom and Little Children). Field’s first project in 16 years arrives w…
Read More >>
Oct. 29, 2022 Concerts at Crooked Tree Oct. 22, 2022 Rain or shine (or sometimes snow), Halloween is coming your way on Oct. 31. If you partake in this particularly spooky holiday, you likely fall into one of two costume categories: 1. Halloween Hero. You’ve got this. You plan your costume in advance with care a…
Read More >>
Oct. 15, 2022 There’s no denying a slight cooling in the pace of live events and performances in this transitory month, but it’s a wonderful migration back to our local roots and experiences that feel a little cozier this time of year. From real world “Moth Radio Hour” esque story…
Read More >>
Oct. 8, 2022 As you watch those first autumn leaves fall to the ground, embrace the warm, familiar flavors of Jolly Pumpkin’s Amber Ale Cheese Dip, best paired with one of the sour beers the brewery is famous for. Friendly bartender Ron will give you the option to add spicy chorizo and pico de gal…
Read More >>
Oct. 1, 2022 As we’ve rounded and passed the fall equinox, there is no more denying that it’s time to find those cozy sweaters and then get out to enjoy the last sonic experiences of the season before the leaves start changing. This week offers a number of musical experiences alongside Octob…
Read More >>
Film Review: Wildcat
Film Review: M3GAN
Film Review: Avatar: The Way of Water
Film Review: The Fabelmans
Film Review: The Menu
Film Review: Weird: The Al Yankovic Story
Film Review: Tár
Roots, Mozart, and Honky Tonks
Crooked Tree Arts Center in Petoskey has a musical double-header on deck this weekend for folks who love a homegrown sound. Friday, Nov. 4, at 7:30pm catch Stella!, an all-female American roots trio from southeast Michigan. You’ll get a m…
Read More >>
Ghouls’ Night Out
The October Surprise(s)
Jolly Pumpkin’s Amber Ale Cheese Dip
The Fall Groove