Author Archives
Josh Lasser is a freelance entertainment reporter/critic. His work has appeared in print, online, and perhaps one day in book form.
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Movie Review: “Riders of Justice”
The desire to build order from chaos, to establish a reason why things happen and predict what will come next based on what has already occurred, is enticing to many (this reviewer certainly is counted amongst that group). Such a… Read More ›
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“Speed,” “Shrek,” and Greatness
We have recently seen “Speed” and “Shrek” arrive on 4K UHD. These are both excellent films. They were excellent when they first came out in theaters, and they’re still excellent today. One of the crucial things to note about both… Read More ›
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Movie Review: “Oxygen” (2021)
You have, almost certainly, tried talking to a computer and the odds are pretty good that it didn’t go as smoothly as you wanted. Picture it, in making a phone call to a company, rather than getting a human being,… Read More ›
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Movie Review: “Wrath of Man”
I have suggested before that one of the main questions that needs to be asked when a movie jumps around in time is if it would be remotely as interesting told in linear fashion; if moving around in time is… Read More ›
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Movie Review: “Benny Loves You”
Some movies answer very specific questions. One film might ask what would happen if an alien got left behind on this planet and was found by a young boy. Another film could tackle the question of why, precisely, you wouldn’t… Read More ›
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Movie Review: “Cliff Walkers”
There are some movie reviews that you finish reading and wonder to yourself whether you’ve learned more about the critic than you have the film. Whether you better understand their politics or likes and dislikes or favorite sports teams or… Read More ›
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Movie Review: “Things Heard & Seen”
“There is a good movie there, somewhere.” There are some movies that you watch and you just know it to be true—there’s a good movie there, somewhere—but it isn’t the movie as it’s been presented. The good movie, the one… Read More ›
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Movie Review: “Tom Clancy’s Without Remorse”
We have all seen the action movie where the soldier decides that the higher-ups have it all wrong and goes off on his own. We have all seen the action movie where the hero is unjustly sent to prison. We… Read More ›
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“Nomadland,” Academy Awards, and Taxes
This week we take a look at newly minted Academy Award winner, “Nomadland.” The film is out on Blu-ray this week and has a lot to say about capitalism. We, as you may have noted in the past, have a… Read More ›
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Movie Review: “Street Gang: How we got to Sesame Street”
We may all come from different places and have different thoughts and feelings and points of view, but there are some things that feel more universal; there are some things that virtually everyone knows. Although I have not run a… Read More ›
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Movie Review: “Together Together”
Ah, the miracle of life. Who hasn’t seen the movie where the couple gets pregnant and has to go through all the ups and downs that occur before the birth of their child(ren)? There are any number of spins that… Read More ›
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What About the Truth Behind “Bad Trip”
Currently out on Netflix, “Bad Trip” is a really funny movie. Like “Borat,” It is a hidden camera film — actors are playing roles and interact with random people they meet. The comedy often results from the responses the actors… Read More ›
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Movie Review: “Monday” (2020)
Watching some movies is like watching a train wreck. That statement is undeniably true, but it doesn’t go deep enough, does it? The question that has to be answered is whether that means that it’s a wreck within the frame—that… Read More ›
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Movie Review: “Wheels” (2020)
We all like to root for the underdog and there is, perhaps, no better filmic example of an underdog story than “Rocky.” Although it is not about a boxer, writer-director Paul Starkman’s debut feature, “Wheels,” offers up a similar vibe… Read More ›
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“Raya” and the Best Viewing Option
This is going to be a conversation we keep having. There are just so many streaming options out there and it can be tough to know the right thing to do. This week we’re going to flip things slightly from… Read More ›
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Movie Review: “Voyagers” (2021)
There is a hazard in writing a review of a less than great (or less than good) movie that it become simply a litany of what is wrong with the film. The farther from good the movie, the more problems… Read More ›
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Movie Review: “Held” (2021)
I love a good mystery. Even if a movie itself is not within the mystery genre, if I get something to puzzle over as the story unfolds, I’m in. My concern—anyone’s concern—is that the solution to the mystery won’t be… Read More ›
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“Our Friend” and Bad Movie Titles
There are any number of reasons to remember this week’s podcast. Perhaps though it is most likely that you will walk away thinking of our discussion of movie titles. “Our Friend” is based on a piece in Esquire called “The… Read More ›
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Movie Review: “Concrete Cowboy”
A defining characteristic of many westerns—some may say of the genre as a whole—is the pushback against an encroaching modern world; the fight of the cowboy to preserve his way of life even as the end seems inevitable. Whatever else… Read More ›
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We Need to Talk About “News of the World”
Tom Hanks is a great actor and Paul Greengrass makes some incredible movies. The latest endeavor for the two men, “News of the World,” is now out on Blu-ray. The movie finds Hanks as Captain Jefferson Kyle Kidd, a man… Read More ›
