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: “It: Chapter Two”
There is a recurring joke in “It: Chapter Two” that James McAvoy’s Bill Denbrough, an author, doesn’t know how to write a good ending. Rather than simply feeling as though it is a trait of Bill’s work, it comes across… Read More ›
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“Rocketman” and “The Banana Splits Movie” Offer a Look at History
What does our past tell us about ourselves? What does someone else’s past tell us about them? Is the past a springboard for who we are now or something to avoid? Is there a direct connection, a linear sort of… Read More ›
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“The Hustle” (2019) is Kind of Like a Beach Wine
Not every comedy is funny. With apologies, that’s just the way it is. We would, of course, like every comedy to be funny, but things happen. Sometimes stuff just doesn’t work out. Take the subject of this week’s podcast, “The… Read More ›
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Movie Review: “Blinded by the Light”
The strength and determination it must take to go to a new country, a place where people speak a different language, look at society differently, act differently, live differently, is incredible. Even taking such an action believing it will better… Read More ›
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Movie Review: “47 Meters Down: Uncaged”
Much like “Jaws” before it, the shark-based horror film “47 Meters Down” may seem like an unlikely candidate for a sequel and yet, just like “Jaws,” it continues past the first film. We now have a second entry in the… Read More ›
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On the Audacity of “Avengers: Endgame”
There is just something about “Avengers: Endgame,” this movie which closes a saga that has played out across nearly two dozen films. It is an astounding film for its audacity, for the way it tells its story as well as… Read More ›
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Movie Review: “Cold Case Hammarskjöld”
Appearing front and center in the documentary “Cold Case Hammarskjöld” is the film’s writer-director, Mads Brügger. He tells the story via voiceover, he tells the story directly to those he’s working with, he—quite theatrically—injects himself into everything going on. He… Read More ›
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Movie Review: “Dora and the Lost City of Gold”
The animated “Dora the Explorer” television series began after I was too old to be watching such a show. That said, as a good consumer of media, I am well aware of the show and the general structure of an… Read More ›
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Movie Review: “The Art of Racing in the Rain”
To say that a movie is “calculating” implies some sort of malevolence but of course, all movies attempt to elicit a response be it an emotional one, an intellectual one, or both. All movies are calculating. Words are often imperfect… Read More ›
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Movie Review: “After the Wedding” (2019)
There is something magical about the start of “After the Wedding,” the new movie from writer-director Bart Freundlich (and based on the movie “Efter Bryllupet”). This is a movie with adults who happen to find themselves in a difficult situation,… Read More ›
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Movie Review: “Corporate Animals”
More than anything else, the new film “Corporate Animals” resembles a particularly off-kilter episode of “The Office.” Directed by Patrick Brice with a script from Sam Bain the movie sees a dysfunctional CEO, Lucy (Demi Moore), bringing her peculiar group… Read More ›
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Movie Review: “Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw”
People will tell you that a preponderance of summer movies are big, loud, and stupid. Whether or not that’s the case, blockbusters don’t come much bigger, louder, or more stupid than this week’s “Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw.” … Read More ›
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Movie Review: “The Operative” (2019)
Stories of undercover agents not following their handler’s orders are rather de rigueur. Stories of undercover agents following in love with someone they shouldn’t are none too fresh. Seeing the two types of issues crop up for an agent in… Read More ›
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Movie Review: “Teacher” (2019)
Not all movies deal in subtlety. Some instead choose to beat the audience over the head with any message they have to offer. That is a decision that filmmakers can make, but it needs to fit in with the rest of… Read More ›
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Movie Review: “Mike Wallace is Here”
There is no doubt that director Avi Belkin’s new documentary, “Mike Wallace is Here,” wishes to squarely place itself within the present day journalistic conversation, the conversation which includes the President of the United States and his White House abusing… Read More ›
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On Binge-Watching (“Saw”) Movies
Last week, the podcast featured a discussion in which I mentioned having seen one “Saw” film and the inevitability that I would see the rest (or would keep watching until they got bad). Well, here we are a week later… Read More ›
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Movie Review: “The art of Self-Defense”
Taking a look at our world today, there can be no doubt that “toxic masculinity” is a problem. This idea of clinging to bygone notions of what it means to “be a man” and defining oneself around those things causes problems. … Read More ›
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Movie Review: “Be Natural: The Untold Story of Alice Guy-Blaché”
Documentaries prompt questions, it is simply in their nature. For instance, there is often the easy and obvious question: why is the filmmaker telling me this; what is their goal? But, the questions don’t stop there at the easy and the… Read More ›
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The Process Podcast
This week’s podcast is slightly different than what we usually do. This week, we’re talking about process, about how things happen. Or, at the very least, we’re talking about things like Josh’s process for coming up with a podcast or… Read More ›
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Movie Review: “Stuber”
The buddy comedy is a tried-and-true genre, one which offers up ample opportunity to not just deliver big laughs but explore differences between personalities as well. Some of the greatest films ever made fall into the category—especially when you expand… Read More ›
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