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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“Dumb Money” and Surface Takes
Just how did a Reddit user group push GameStop stock higher in 2021 and what did that do to some hedge fund managers? The film “Dumb Money” puts forth an effort to show us. It does not, however, truly succeed…. Read More ›
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“The Creator” may be Great, but A.I. is Going to Kill us All
What good is a cautionary tale if we don’t pay heed? What good is an entire genre of cautionary tales if our only thought is, “yeah, let’s do that.” Gareth Edwards’ “The Creator” is now available on blu-ray and it… Read More ›
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Questioning “Oppenheimer” and the Father of the Age
Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer” is a brilliant movie. We love the work Cillian Murphy and the rest of the cast do on it. We admit to finding the way the narrative unfolds rather perplexing at times, but it’s no less clever… Read More ›
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With “A Haunting in Venice” Branagh Solves Poirot
There has been so much to enjoy with Kenneth Branagh’s first two Hercule Poirot outings, “Murder on the Orient Express” and “Death on the Nile,” but both have some more unsatisfactory elements as well. Now, with his third go-round, “A… Read More ›
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Greek Weddings and Missions: Impossible and Continuing the Franchise
With both “My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3” and “Mission: Impossible Dead Reckoning – Part One” now out on Blu-ray and digital, it is the perfect time to compare and contrast these franchises. Where does one succeed? Where might the… Read More ›
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Grim Grinning Ghosts
And a very Happy Halloween to you foolish mortal. Today, as befits the occasion, we’ll be discussing the 2023 live action “Haunted Mansion.” A whole lot better than the first live action version, this one proves that not only is… Read More ›
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Following Where “Strays” Lead
Do you want to see the movie “Strays;” are you going to like it? That depends, how do you feel about movies in which dogs get high and tell dirty jokes? If you love that sort of thing, then yes,… Read More ›
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“Theater Camp” and the Need for a Counselor
There are some movies where you can see just how close they came to greatness, just how close they came to being an all-time wonderful thing. Movies which, instead, ended up as purely mediocre. There is an added disappointment to… Read More ›
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“The Boogeyman” and Hard Times
Out now on digital and in and on Blu-ray come October 10th is “The Boogeyman,” a solid horror movie where a supernatural entity attacks a family in crisis. And that is what interests us this week — a family in… Read More ›
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“Indiana Jones” and Another Disappointing Sequel
“Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny” is now out on digital and it is… well, it’s not as good as the first three. Of course, no one ever expected it would be, no one ever thought it could be…. Read More ›
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Perhaps a Little too “Elemental”
Pixar’s latest film, “Elemental,” is gorgeous. It features a cleverly designed world and does so in imaginative ways. What it doesn’t do is give us a romance worth caring for. Oh, there is indeed a romance and it takes up… Read More ›
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“The Little Mermaid” and Big Complications
Just because someone thinks a conversation or an idea is going to go somewhere, that doesn’t necessarily make it so. We thought we knew exactly what we were going to say when we started writing this podcast on “The Little… Read More ›
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The Fun-derful World of “Fast X”
We have grown tired of the “but that could never happen” complaints surrounding the “Fast and Furious” franchise. The movies may not be realistic, but they are wonderfully fun. Today on the podcast we celebrate the newest of them, “Fast… Read More ›
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“Kandahar” and Good Intentions
Gerard Butler’s latest movie, “Kandahar” (2023), is full of good intentions and we very much admire them. This is a movie that seems to want to offer a nuanced view of Afghanistan, surrounding nations, and the way in which our… Read More ›
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One Last Trip with the “Guardians of the Galaxy”
The time has come to bid adieu to the Guardians of the Galaxy. Or, at the very least, the team we’ve come to know (and love?) as it exists under the direction of James Gunn. “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol…. Read More ›
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Movie Review: “Oppenheimer”
Is a movie compelling because the story is compelling or is a movie compelling due to the manner in which it is told? Ideally, of course, it’s both and regrettably, not every movie succeeds on both fronts. Sometimes one overshadows… Read More ›
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Reading Into “Book Club: The Next Chapter”
Featuring Jane Fonda, Candice Bergen, Mary Steenburgen, and Diane Keaton, the “Book Club” franchise boasts no shortage of talent. The real issue with this sequel–one that starts off quite well–is that the talent isn’t given very much to do. With… Read More ›
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Movie Review: “Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One”
The Writers Guild of America is currently on strike. One element of the entertainment industry that greatly concerns the WGA is the increasing prevalence of artificial intelligence. Could AI eventually be used to write television and movie scripts? Could it… Read More ›
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Getting Blue with “Avatar”
James Cameron’s mega-hit “Avatar” is now available in 4K and that makes this the perfect time to look at the film once more. For better or worse, however, we find our opinions unchanged. This is a movie that does some… Read More ›
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Questioning “Chevalier”
It is unquestionably true that the sets and costumes in “Chevalier” are beautiful. It is unquestionably true that Kelvin Harrison Jr. delivers a charismatic performance. The questions about the movie sneak in other places and you find yourself wondering things… Read More ›
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