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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New York Film Festival Movie Review: "Manchester by the Sea"
Sitting there at the New York Film Festival, just as with anywhere one might watch a film, there are things that work and things that don’t. Some movies leave you flat and others hit you like a freight train, offering… Read More ›
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"Lass is More" Looks at "Morris from America" and "Bad Moms"
At first glance, “Morris from America” and “Bad Moms” are very different creatures, but a closer inspection–like the in today’s podcast–yields the thought that perhaps they are far more alike than one would have initially believed. Essentially, these are movies… Read More ›
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Movie Review: "Arrival" (2016)
We are, it seems to me, living in a great day for science fiction movies. Rather than solely having to subsist on massive, operatic space battles (which, don’t get me wrong, can be great), we also get thinking science fiction…. Read More ›
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Movie Review: "Trolls" (2016)
If “The LEGO Movie” taught us nothing else, we at least all walked away from that film knowing that there is a way to make a movie based upon a toy that doesn’t feel as though the film is merely… Read More ›
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"Lass is More" Heads to Deep Space with "Star Trek Beyond"
Are film franchises more difficult beasts than one-off movies, at least for writers? How hard does it have to be to do something new and different and yet familiar and enjoyable? How hard does it have to be knowing that… Read More ›
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Movie Review: "Inferno" (2016)
“Inferno” is the third of Dan Brown’s Robert Langdon novels to be turned into films by director Ron Howard with star Tom Hanks. The basic notion of Langdon’s world is that the man knows all about signs and symbols and… Read More ›
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"Lass is More" on the Nerve of "Nerve"
You want to put out a movie with a message? You want your film to have a moral? That’s fine. Morals, messages, takeaways — whatever you want to call them, they are worthwhile, but only if you actually believe what… Read More ›
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Movie Review: "Jack Reacher: Never go Back"
I don’t know exactly when it was, but at some point, Tom Cruise decided that his action movies should be funny in addition to delivering thrills. This certainly wasn’t always the case (see the first “Mission: Impossible”) but it is… Read More ›
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Movie Review: "Keeping up with the Joneses" (2016)
When is a superspy not a superspy? When they’re a bad spy. Greg Mottola’s latest directorial effort, “Keeping up with the Joneses,” offers a well-worn premise – the folks next door are not remotely who they appear to be. In… Read More ›
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"Lass is More" Goes to Town with the Original "Mr. Deeds"
“Mr. Deeds Goes to Town” is an utter classic. It offers up incredible dialogue and great performances and this monolithically ugly view of New York City. Obviously, the first of these two things are to be celebrated, the third is… Read More ›
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Movie Review: "The Accountant" (2016)
Please be aware, this is a lightly spoilery review: enough of the movie’s issues result around what are supposed to be reveals/surprises that they have to be referenced. The poster for “The Accountant” features, in part, Ben Affleck holding a… Read More ›
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New York Comic Con 2016 – My Closing Thoughts
I love New York Comic Con. There, I said it. It is loud and it is crowded and it doesn’t have the same cache as it’s San Diego big brother, but it puts a lot of people who love the… Read More ›
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"Lass is More" Rumbles Towards at "Shin Godzilla" and "The Thing"
We have talked about horror before on the “Lass is More” podcast, but we’re doing it again this week as “The Thing” gets a new blu-ray edition and “Shin Godzilla” hits the big screen here in the States. The question… Read More ›
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New York Comic Con 2016: "Trollhunters"
New York – I will have a piece at another time detailing all the various sorts of New York Comic Con fun I had in the past week, but now is the time to talk about the “Trollhunters” panel held… Read More ›
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New York Comic Con 2016: "Death Race 2050" and Roger Corman
New York – “Death Race 2050” has nothing to do with “Death Race” or “Death Race 2” or “Death Race: Inferno.” That would be silly. “Death Race 2050” is more aligned with “Death Race 2000,” while “Death Race” is a… Read More ›
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Movie Review: "The Girl on the Train"
Tate Taylor’s adaptation of Paula Hawkins’ novel “Girl on the Train” desperately wants to situate itself in a small corner of Westchester County, moving the location of the novel from outside London to this area, but it is this area… Read More ›
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New York Film Festival Movie Review: "13th"
To a large extent, and whether we tend to like it or not, documentaries are all about constructing an argument. They are about putting together the pieces of a story in such a way so as to create the strongest,… Read More ›
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New York Film Festival Movie Review: "Graduation"
There are too many people who, at least anecdotally, dislike going to see movies with subtitles. Generally speaking, this is a great loss. But, today we get specific, one foreign language movie absolutely worth seeing – Cristian Mungiu’s “Graduation.” The… Read More ›
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New York Film Festival Movie Review: "The Rehearsal" (2016)
Even if it delves into the topic, it would be difficult to suggest that “The Rehearsal” (2106) offers up a clear idea of exactly what it takes to be an actor. Perhaps it would be more accurate to say that… Read More ›
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New York Film Festival Movie Review: "I, Daniel Blake" & "Moonlight"
The New York Film Festival opens its 54 year on September 30th with Ava DuVernay’s “13th.” More than a week earlier, on September 19th, the press and industry screenings began. Happily, I was fortunate enough to be there, seated in… Read More ›
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