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: “Barb and Star go to Vista Del Mar”
Comedy can be subjective. What one person finds funny, another will not. I have no doubt that it is possible to go out and read many reviews which describe “Barb & Star go to Vista Del Mar” as a “comedic… Read More ›
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Movie Review: “The World to Come”
It is perhaps too obvious a statement to say that the way in which a story unfolds is crucial. Still, obvious or not, it remains true. I am thinking here, specifically, of a tale’s point of view. Whether it offers… Read More ›
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Movie Review: “Land” (2021)
We all know that dialogue is crucial in movies. The right words, said in the right way can make all the difference. What is often overlooked in such a discussion, however, is that the right bit of silence can matter… Read More ›
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Movie Review: “Cowboys” (2021)
One of the terrible truths about being human and the world being imperfect is that just because you’re doing the best you can, just because you think you’re doing the right thing, just because you’re trying your hardest, it doesn’t… Read More ›
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Not all Trips are Created Equal: “The Little Prince” and “Elizabethtown”
Out today on Blu-ray are Cameron Crowe’s “Elizabethtown” and Mark Osborne’s take on “The Little Prince.” Both movies are–as is the case with so many films–about people learning about themselves and growing. They are about the journey, literal and metaphorical…. Read More ›
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Movie Review: “The Mauritanian”
We, as a nation, would choose to believe that we are, for lack of a better term, the chosen people. It is a notion that exists in much of our pomp and circumstance, much of the way we talk about… Read More ›
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Movie Review: “Bliss” (2021)
***I’m sure I’m going to spoil something for someone here. Don’t read if you want to go in without knowing anything at all.*** I am not quite sure how to start this review… On the one hand, I enjoyed writer-director… Read More ›
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Director Eliza Schroeder on “Love Sarah” and Filming Food
As you will hear, I thoroughly enjoyed Eliza Schroeder’s film, “Love Sarah.” The movie is about three women who finds themselves opening a bakery to honor a lost loved one. Schroeder tells us how the idea came about, how long… Read More ›
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Movie Review: “The Little Things”
When we meet John “Deke” Deacon in writer-director John Lee Hancock’s “The Little Things,” he is working as a patrol deputy in part of California’s Central Valley. We soon learn that he took that job after leaving Los Angeles, where… Read More ›
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Movie Review: “Supernova” (2021)
The power of a movie doesn’t necessarily have to be in its offering a new idea. That can be a part of it, certainly, but execution is also crucial. The best ideas amount to nothing if they’re carried out badly… Read More ›
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Movie Review: “Saint Maud”
editor’s note: the below was originally written last year, as the film had been set for US release at that time. It is coming out, instead, this Friday and we are publishing the review to coincide with this new release… Read More ›
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Danny Kaye’s “The Court Jester” and Mel Gibson’s “Fatman”
As a youth, Josh avoided Danny Kaye movies. It felt like there was always one that was on TV or about to be on TV and he skipped them. As he now realizes, that was a terribly grievous error. “The… Read More ›
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Movie Review: “The White Tiger” (2021)
At one point in writer-director Ramin Bahrani’s “The White Tiger,” which is out on Netflix today, the main character makes an oblique reference to “Slumdog Millionaire.” The point of it is to contrast one film with the other. This movie,… Read More ›
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Movie Review: “Penguin Bloom”
Any number of films exist seemingly with the goal of making the audience cry. Whether the tears come from upset or joy or one leading to the other or vice versa, all too often we get stories that seem to… Read More ›
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One “Empty Man,” One Daft Movie
There is, we suspect, something brilliant buried somewhere within “The Empty Man.” Based on a graphic novel, the movie stars James Badge Dale and focuses itself on… well, even telling you that might be a bit spoilery. Of course, that… Read More ›
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Movie Review: “Outside the Wire”
There is unquestionably an argument to be made that we don’t need another movie telling us that building sentient robots—especially robots to fight wars—is a bad idea. We have seen the notion play out multiple times, and so often with… Read More ›
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Movie Review: “The Marksman” (2021)
There are a large number of things which I don’t understand about the new Liam Neeson movie, “The Marksman.” I have questions about the number of roads that lead from Arizona to Chicago, the time traveling it would take to… Read More ›
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Movie Review: “Some Kind of Heaven”
In the leadup to Joe Biden’s November victory in the Presidential Election, I saw more than one article about arguments at The Villages, a massive retirement community in Florida. Trump, infamously, < a href=”https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/28/us/politics/trump-white-power-video-racism.html”>retweeted one racist moment their (naturally, he… Read More ›
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Not on “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” nor “The Midnight Sky”
The goal for this week’s podcast had been to look at two Netflix movies we missed in 2020 — “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” and “The Midnight Sky.” Of course, after that plan had been put into motion, things happened last… Read More ›
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Movie Review: “One Night in Miami…”
At the end of last year, much was made of whether or not the TV series “The Crown” should put a disclaimer before episodes which, essentially, explain that the series is not a documentary. Yes, the show may feature real… Read More ›
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