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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“Mamma Mia! Here we go Again” with Sequels
I have to wonder if I’m facing my Waterloo. With this sequel to “Mamma Mia!,” I couldn’t escape if I wanted to. What I am trying to figure out though is if I do want to escape. I watched the… Read More ›
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Movie Review: “Johnny English Strikes Again”
Rowan Atkinson is a comedic genius. He is one of that rare breed who can make people laugh with a look, or a gesture, or a remark. And yet, it is interesting to see him return to the Johnny English… Read More ›
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Movie Review: “Hunter Killer”
Movies about the U.S. military tend to fall into two categories: triumphant stories focusing on hardship that is overcome, and tales that focus more on the evils of war and that which comes after. I say “tend to” because every… Read More ›
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“Weed the People” Has a Memory Problem
Directed by Abby Epstein, a new documentary, “Weed the People,” is in theaters this week. It builds an argument around anecdotes that marijuana might cure cancer. Whether or not marijuana can cure cancer, the movie seems to forget that near… Read More ›
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A Quick Clearing of “The Fog” (1980)
The below is not a review of “The Fog.” It is, rather, a set of thoughts about the movie that have been loosely arranged for reading. Enjoy (or not. whatever.) Opening this week in select theaters is a 4K restoration… Read More ›
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Movie Review: “Time Trap”
What if the Fountain of Youth was less a fountain with some water that makes one young and more a cave where time just went super slow? Such is the concept of Mark Dennis & Ben Foster’s “Time Trap.” That… Read More ›
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New York Film Festival Review: “The Favourite”
Yorgos Lanthimos’s latest film, “The Favourite” screened this past week as the Opening Night film of the 56th New York Film Festival. Written by Deborah Davis and Tony McNamara, the movie is a fictionalized take on a portion of the… Read More ›
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New York Film Festival Review: “High Life”
The opening title for Claire Denis’s 2018 New York Film Festival entry appears almost 15 or 20 minutes after the movie starts. It comes up as a series of dead bodies float in space, having been pushed out of… Read More ›
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Movie Review: “First Man” (2018)
Damien Chazelle’s “First Man,” has some of the most outstanding cinematic visuals I have seen in a long time. The sequences on the moon, particularly in IMAX, are stunning, but even that doesn’t do them justice. They are completely mesmerizing… Read More ›
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Movie Review: “Bad Times at the El Royale”
No one could ever accuse “Bad Times at the El Royale,” a movie I would prefer to call “Bad Times at the the Royal,” of not having a certain style. This is a dark comedy, a noir tale of… well of… Read More ›
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“Doctor Who” is the Best Way to End NYCC
One of the things I love about “Doctor Who” fandom is that it feels so inclusive. This is not a group of people who will lambast you for not knowing the third supporting actor in the fourth episode of Jon… Read More ›
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“How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World” Draws out Emotions at NYCC
Whether or not the original “How to Train Your Dragon” looked incredible when the movie was first released to theaters in 2010, having watched it on Saturday night I can tell you that it is most certainly dated at this… Read More ›
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“Anna and the Apocalypse” Makes Merry at NYCC
After getting to see several huge panels in Madison Square Garden at this year’s New York Comic-Con, I opted to end my Saturday by heading back to the Javits Center and sitting in on a smaller one. Not small small,… Read More ›
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Going “Inside the Spiderverse” at NYCC
It is never surprising when a panel at New York Comic-Con offers up video. If it’s a panel on a movie or a television show, they have to offer video. Even so, those in the audience regularly are thrilled by… Read More ›
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“Good Omens” Panel Makes for Positive Feelings at NYCC
Although I have attended many different panels at Madison Square Garden for New York Comic Con over the past few years, I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a response like the one “Good Omens” got when they were introduced. It… Read More ›
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“Alita: Battle Angel” and “Dark Phoenix” Storm NYCC
My Friday at New York Comic-Con this year ended with 20th Century Fox’s showcase and Q&A. On tap for those in the audience were looks at “Alita: Battle Angel” and “Dark Phoenix,” the latter of which is the latest entry… Read More ›
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“Mortal Engines” Devours New York Comic-Con
With his “Lord of the Rings” trilogy, Peter Jackson has earned himself, at least in some corners of fandom, a lifetime pass. That is, if Jackson is involved in a project, a whole lot of folks are going to be… Read More ›
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New York Film Festival Review: “If Beale Street Could Talk”
One thing was evident at the outset of the New York Film Festival screening of Barry Jenkins’ “If Beale Street Could Talk,” which Jenkins has adapted from James Baldwin’s novel, and that’s the writer/director’s confidence. Everything within this touching tale… Read More ›
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Movie Review: “Venom” (2018)
Immediately prior to the climactic sequence of director Ruben Fleischer’s “Venom,” the alien creature who gives the film its title announces to its host, Eddie Brock (Tom Hardy), that they have zero chance to win the upcoming battle. Do they… Read More ›
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Movie Review: “The Hate U Give”
Written by Audrey Wells, based on the novel by Angie Thomas, and directed by George Tillman, Jr., “The Hate U Give” acts like a gut punch. It is a movie that feels as though it perfectly exists in our world,… Read More ›
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