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: “Grand Isle” (2019)
Nicolas Cage appears in a lot of movies and while they are sometimes here-and-gone affairs, the actor regularly brings an intensity to his roles that makes them highly watchable. This intensity is certainly present in his latest film, “Grand Isle.”… Read More ›
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“Grand Isle” Screenwriter Iver William Jallah on ‘Cage Rage’ and More
Getting that first screenplay produced has to be an incredibly heady experience, but not one without any number of stressors as well. Today, Iver William Jallah comes by the podcast to talk about “Grand Isle,” his first produced screenplay, which… Read More ›
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“Official Secrets” and Trump’s Whistleblower
Out on DVD today is “Official Secrets.” The movie deals with a whistleblower in England in the run-up to George W. Bush’s Iraq War. Starring Keira Knightley, this isn’t just a well told tale, it’s one that has tons of… Read More ›
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Movie Review: “Knives Out”
In an unusual turn of events, I was able to see Rian Johnson’s “Knives Out” more than once prior to release. There first time through, I was, for a time, slightly disappointed. That disappointment was not in evidence during the… Read More ›
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Movie Review: “21 Bridges”
The new Chadwick Boseman film, “21 Bridges,” takes its name from the 21 bridges that lead on/off the island of Manhattan. The basic notion of the film is that an NYPD detective, Andre Davis (Boseman), is tasked with finding robbers… Read More ›
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Movie Review: “The Knight Before Christmas”
For better or worse, Netflix’s new movie, “The Knight Before Christmas” is exactly as advertised. Directed by Monika Mitchell with a screenplay by Cara Russell, this is an extremely low-stakes tale of a single woman in 2019 Ohio falling in… Read More ›
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Movie Review: “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood”
Watching “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood” one inescapable truth came to the fore: I am a cynical human being. Technically I knew this before I sat down to watch this inspired-by-reality tale of Mr. Rogers’ influence on the life… Read More ›
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Dora and the Call of Adventure
After two weeks off, the podcast returns today with a look at the desire to go off on an adventure. Yes, wherever you may be in life at this moment, we would bet that either in the past, the present,… Read More ›
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Movie Review: “The Good Liar”
From an early moment in “The Good Liar,” it is quite clear what one of the big twists will be down the line. That made this reviewer rather trepidatious. On the one hand, watching two masters like Ian McKellen and… Read More ›
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Movie Review: “The Warrior Queen of Jhansi”
Is “The Warrior Queen of Jhansi,” a new film Swati Bhise a case of printing the legend? This reviewer would never deign to suggest that he knows enough about Indian history to even hazard a guess. What is clear about… Read More ›
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Movie Review: “The Lighthouse” (2019)
There is an incredible sense of claustrophobia that immediately makes itself felt with “The Lighthouse.” Director Robert Eggers has opted to create his film in the 1.19:1 aspect ratio as opposed to what we usually see on the big screen… Read More ›
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Movie Review: “Ford V Ferrari”
To start at the end, it is the final irony that James Mangold’s new film is titled “Ford V Ferrari” and not “Shelby and Miles V Ford.” This is a movie—a wonderful movie—which is so much less about Ford going… Read More ›
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“Badland” and Ticking the Trope Boxes
This weekend the new movie, “Badland,” hits theaters and streaming platforms. Written and directed by Justin Lee, the film stars Kevin Makely. It’s a western, and it ticks all the boxes you would imagine a western would hit. But, is… Read More ›
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Movie Review: “Terminator: Dark Fate”
There is a moment early on in “Terminator: Dark Fate” where anything seems possible; where it feels like the story truly could head anywhere. It is a false a hope; a lie. “Dark Fate,” the sixth entry in the “Terminator”… Read More ›
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Movie Review: “The Kill Team” (2019)
As sometimes the two things are confused, it must be stated that just because the story told in a movie is important, the movie is not automatically a “good” movie. In this case, no one would argue that the tale,… Read More ›
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Worthwhile Spins (like “Galaxy Quest”) vs. “The Lion King” (2019)
There is nothing wrong with Disney going out and deciding that they’re going to remake every single movie they’ve ever made before. What is wrong is doing that without a specific, new, take on whatever movie it is they’re making…. Read More ›
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Movie Review: “Zombieland: Double Tap”
It has been 10 years since the first “Zombieland” movie arrived on the big screen and not only have things changed in our world, they’ve changed within that of the franchise’s as well. Yes, the specifics are different what with… Read More ›
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Movie Review: “Cyrano, My Love”
Watching the new movie “Cyrano, My Love” it is easy to recall the Oscar-winning “Shakespeare in Love.” After all, the latter is a tale about Shakespeare and his troubles writing “Romeo and Juliet” and the former is a tale about… Read More ›
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The Pull of the B Movie
Neither “Crawl” nor “Night Hunter” are likely to win any awards, but the two thrillers grab you by the collar and don’t let go for the length of their run, and there’s something incredible to be said about that. Well,… Read More ›
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Movie Review: “Gemini Man”
Writing about “Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk,” I stated, ” The changes to the language of cinema Ang Lee has made with this work are not yet fully understood, nor codified.” I further referred to the movie as “an oddity.” Here… Read More ›
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