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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“Mrs. Maisel” Finishes Our Podcast Year
Currently available on Amazon Prime are the first two seasons of their original series, “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.” On this, what we presume to be our final episode of the year, we suggest that it makes for wonderful holiday viewing…. Read More ›
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Movie Review: “Bumblebee”
What if there were a “Transformers” live-action movie that was actually good? A movie where the story made sense, where there were some good emotional beats, where there were some decent laughs, where the audience could discern what was going… Read More ›
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Movie Review: “Mortal Engines”
There is something incredibly impressive about the visuals that have been put on the screen for “Mortal Engines.” Directed by Christian Rivers, the film has the grand sense of scale one expects from the work of Peter Jackson, who is… Read More ›
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Is “The Muppet Christmas Carol” the Best Adaptation of the Novel?
It is a time to celebrate the holidays and even if we talked about “A Christmas Carol” last week on the podcast, we’re doing it again this week. It is just that good. Last week, of course, we discussed the… Read More ›
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Movie Review: “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse”
It may sound impossible, but what if we really did have room for another Spider-Man origin story? Watch “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” and you’ll be convinced that this new movie was absolutely worth making. Directors Bob Perischetti, Peter Ramsey, and Rodney… Read More ›
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Movie Review: “Divide and Conquer: The Story of Roger Ailes”
More than halfway through the Alexis Bloom documentary, “Divide and Conquer: The Story of Roger Ailes,” an interesting question comes to the fore – did Roger Ailes believe the stories he had Fox News peddle, or was he just in… Read More ›
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Movie Review: “Mary Queen of Scots” (2018)
At its outset, “Mary Queen of Scots” is a slow-paced chess match between two queens — Mary Stuart of Scotland (Saoirse Ronan) and Elizabeth I (Margot Robbie)of England. In fact, at points it seems curious that the film is not… Read More ›
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“Mission: Impossible – Fallout,” “Scrooged,” and Being a Good American
More than 20 years after the first film’s release, the sixth “Mission: Impossible” movie arrived on the big screen this summer. Now, it’s on Blu-ray, as is a 30th anniversary edition of the Bill Murray classic, “Scrooged.” Both films, as… Read More ›
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Movie Review: “The American Meme”
What if there is a dark side to fame? What if money does not always buy happiness? What if there are actual real-world consequences to one’s actions? Such are the supposedly shocking revelations put forth by the new documentary, “The American… Read More ›
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Movie Review: “Anna and the Apocalypse”
Perhaps the inevitable upcoming zombie apocalypse won’t be all bad. Assuredly loved ones will be lost and brains will be on the menu (it is a zombie apocalypse after all), but there might be singing and dancing, too, and who… Read More ›
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“To Kid or not to Kid” That is Maxine Trump’s Question
This week’s podcast episode features director Maxine Trump, whose new documentary, “To Kid or not to Kid” just premiered at DOC NYC. The movie looks at the decision most people have to eventually make on whether or not to have… Read More ›
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Movie Review: “Creed II”
There is a basic formula for “Rocky” movies and the “Creed” films are very much “Rocky” movies even if they focus on Apollo Creed’s son, Adonis (Michael B. Jordan), with Rocky’s story taking a backseat. Due to this formula, the… Read More ›
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Movie Review: “Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald”
One of the biggest problems with “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them,” the first of the Harry Potter universe prequel movies, is that it isn’t telling the story it wants the audience to think it’s telling. Or, rather, it is… Read More ›
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Movie Review: “Widows”
Steve McQueen’s new film, “Widows,” starts with a whiz-bang opening sequence, cutting between the home life of four thieves and the same thieves on the job. The jumps between the two are purposefully jarring, causing the audience to sit up… Read More ›
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“BlacKkKlansman,” “Midaq Alley” & Racist Presidential Rhetoric
Sometimes we sit down to watch movies and simply cannot escape their echoes. We look and we see the movies reflected in our world, for good or for ill. So, this week we’re looking at “BlacKkKlansman” and “Midaq Alley,” two… Read More ›
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Movie Review: “Overlord” (2018)
It is very nearly the plot of a videogame. That sentence isn’t written in some sort of hyperbolic way either – the “Wolfenstein” franchise has spent no small amount of time exploring the various hypothetical things the Nazis could have… Read More ›
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Movie Review: “Dr. Seuss’ The Grinch”
It is clear from the start of the new, animated feature length “Dr. Seuss’ The Grinch,” that the audience is going to get some wonderfully bright, detailed, engaging animation. What is less clear is if the movie will work as… Read More ›
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“Christopher Robin” is Eeyore, “Incredibles 2” is… Incredible
What is it to be a family? What does that mean? How do we live our lives and comport ourselves so as to do the best for them. This week we have two very different Disney movies that attempt to… Read More ›
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Movie Review: “Outlaw King”
It has been more than 20 years since “Braveheart” hit movie theaters. The film was incredibly well-received and no matter the issues with its star/director, the shadow of “Braveheart” is a long one. Netflix’s new “Outlaw King” picks up after the… Read More ›
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Movie Review: “Bohemian Rhapsody”
Biopics are not always strictly true, they are not fastidious and precise. Liberties are taken. It is a necessary part of the process that is condensing someone’s life into a two hour movie. I have said this before and it… Read More ›
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