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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“Amsterdam”: The Weighty, Darkly Dramatic, Zany Comedy
Last time on the podcast, we discussed how some films know exactly what they are and are content with that; these films don’t push to be bigger or better or more grandiose or more important. There is something wonderful to… Read More ›
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Staying Small with “Jerry and Marge go Large”
Movies like to advertise themselves as the biggest and best thing you’ve ever seen. They are the funniest or the scariest or the loudest or the one with the most special effects or… whatever. Sometimes that’s just too much though,… Read More ›
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Does “Honk for Jesus. Save Your Soul.” Stray from the Path?
Sometimes there is a movie that is chock full of good ideas and led by great performances. There is a genius at the heart of such efforts. And yet, as we all know, making a movie requires more than that…. Read More ›
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“See How They Run” Back to Old Ideas
After seeing “The Mousetrap” in London this past summer with my children, my nephew, and their grandparents, there was no way I was going to miss “See How They Run.” The film, now available on digital, is not an adaptation… Read More ›
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Two Halves of “Barbarian” Make a Better Whole
Now out on digital is Zach Cregger’s “Barbarian.” A thriller, “Barbarian” is one of those movies which can easily be described as consisting of two distinct halves. When the switch from the first of these halves to the second takes… Read More ›
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“Thor: Love and Thunder” and Weightlessness
The fourth MCU “Thor” movie is out today on Blu-ray and DVD. That makes this the perfect moment to discuss not just this film, but the series and maybe a little bit of the MCU at large. We firmly believe… Read More ›
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All Six “Star Trek” Movies are out in 4K and Josh Told You So
It is not true that we cannot tell a lie. In fact, we will announce right now that Josh does indeed lie in this week’s podcast episode. Oh, no, he doesn’t lie about anything important–when he says that now is… Read More ›
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Hilarity and Disappointment with “Minions: The Rise of Gru”
While other individuals out there might be sick and tired of the Minions, what with their goggles and yellow skin and affection for denim, that is not the case here. No, here we still love the guys — we love… Read More ›
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The Disappointing Finale that is “Jurassic World: Dominion”
There are weeks when we feel optimistic, maybe not about the outcome of a movie, but about the endeavor as a whole. These are the weeks where we do our best to look past faults, to ascribe nothing but the… Read More ›
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The Slowpokes of “Lightyear”
One of the cardinal sins of storytelling (for me) is having characters who are allegedly smart act dumb. It becomes impossible to tell whether the filmmakers don’t think much of the audience or just don’t realize what they are creating… Read More ›
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Movie Review: “Resurrection” (2022)
Perhaps the most important thing to note about writer-director Andrew Semans’s new film, “Resurrection,” is not that it is horrifying, but rather that it is grippingly horrifying. It may be described as a “psychological thriller,” and while those words are… Read More ›
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Finding “The Lost City”
If you are familiar with “Romancing the Stone,” your view of “The Lost City” may be one thing. If you’re unaware of the Michael Douglas-Kathleen Turner movie, your opinion of this Sandra Bullock-Channing Tatum one may be wholly different. Does… Read More ›
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Playing Guinea Pig with “The Bob’s Burgers Movie”
Regularly listeners to this podcast may well remember previous episodes in which we’ve wondered how it would hit someone to drop into a franchise somewhere in the middle; what happens when you watch something for which you have little background?… Read More ›
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“Downton Abbey: A New Era” but Maybe not so Much
Currently out on Blu-ray and digital is the second “Downton Abbey” movie, “Downton Abbey: A New Era.” Of course, if you watch the movie, you’ll be hard-pressed to find out what’s so new about it. Here’s the deal… we love… Read More ›
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“Doctor Strange” and the Multiversal Tapestry
With every new entry in the MCU, the questions about how to understand and interact with the franchise grow. Are we now at the point where the barrier to entry is too high? Or, maybe because the MCU is everywhere… Read More ›
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Mending the “Elden Ring” and our Hearts
I sunk an incredible number of hours into the game “Elden Ring,” so many that I hesitate to actually offer up the number. It is, unquestionably, one of the best games I’ve ever played and I am now quite sad… Read More ›
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Chasing an “Ambulance”
Michael Bay’s latest film, “Ambulance,” may be the Michael Bay-iest yet. It is this perfect distillation of what you expect (and want) from such an endeavor — chases and explosions and shootouts and yelling. We can’t help but wonder though… Read More ›
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With Apologies, we do not Enjoy “Grease 2”
A very wise TV show theme song once taught us that people don’t move to the beat of just one drum, that what might be right for you, may not be right for some. There is certainly no denying that… Read More ›
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Grasping at “The Untouchables”
We have on this podcast found ourselves talking in recent weeks about engaging with films, the difficulties sometimes inherent therein, and the need to not be a passive viewer. Well, one of this week’s new 4K releases is the perfect… Read More ›
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Movie Review: “Top Gun: Maverick”
The “Star Wars” movies do not exist within the world of “Top Gun.” That might be an odd thing to have stick with someone walking out of the long-delayed “Top Gun: Maverick,” a sequel to the 1986 film, but it… Read More ›
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