The world feels different at the moment, so this review will, somewhat necessarily, be different. Movies speak to the time in which they are made and the period which they are made about, but they also speak to the time… Read More ›
review
Movie Review: “Spenser Confidential”
The worst thing about the new Netflix original, “Spenser Confidential,” is that it is a single movie and not a regular series. Sure, Robert B. Parker’s Spenser character already had a television series, “Spenser: For Hire,” but this new team-up… Read More ›
Movie Review: “The Invisible Man” (2020)
Although, as you would suspect, the invisible man in this year’s “The Invisible Man” is largely silent (it’s not scary if he goes around merrily singing show tunes), the movie itself is anything but. Leigh Whannell’s “Gaslight” take on the… Read More ›
Movie Review: “Guns Akimbo”
editor’s note: the below review was written prior to Jason Lei Howden’s horrible actions over the past week. The substance of the review has not been altered following them. The publishing of the review is taking place because while the… Read More ›
Movie Review: “Wendy”
There is a crucial moment in “Wendy,” Benh Zeitlin’s riff on the Peter Pan story, where Wendy (Devin France) and Peter (Yashua Mack) must save the Lost Boys from evil pirates. It is a crucial act and must be done… Read More ›
Movie Review: “Standing Up, Falling Down”
Thank goodness for smaller movies that tell smaller stories. These are the movies that deal with human-sized problems in human-sized fashion. We are all so regularly caught up in big events, big cinema, that these smaller films too often escape… Read More ›
Movie Review: “Emma.” (2020)
The new movie “Emma.,” based on Jane Austen’s novel, is indeed titled “Emma.” with the period. The title, as with so many other things in the movie, is perfect. The use of the punctuation speaks to the fastidiousness of the… Read More ›
Movie Review: “Downhill” (2020)
Inspired by the Swedish film, “Force Majeure,” Nat Faxon and Jim Rash’s “Downhill” is a comedy. Nominally speaking it’s a comedy anyway. In many cases I employ the “in a tragedy everyone dies and not everyone dies in this movie… Read More ›
Movie Review: “Sonic the Hedgehog”
Based on the video game franchise, the new “Sonic the Hedgehog” film manages a truly amazing critical feat – as a whole it hits an absolutely neutral state. That is, the movie has good parts (Ben Schwartz as the voice… Read More ›
Movie Review: “Portrait of a Lady on Fire”
Some films are beautiful. There is no more clear, more simple, more honest way to describe them than beautiful. Writer-director Céline Sciamma’s “Portrait of a Lady on Fire” is one such film. This tale of love between a painter, Marianne… Read More ›
Movie Review: “Birds of Prey (And the Fantabulous Emancipation of one Harley Quinn)”
For a, relatively speaking, light and airy movie, “Birds of Prey (And the Fantabulous Emancipation of one Harley Quinn)” sports an exceptionally unwieldy title. It is a title that feels designed to do a lot of heavy lifting for the… Read More ›
Movie Review: “The Rhythm Section”
Advertising materials for “The Rhythm Section” are very quick to point out that the movie is from the producers of the James Bond films and that is accurate. The movie is produced by Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson and… Read More ›
Movie Review: “The Last Full Measure”
It has been stated fairly regularly that war is hell, and still, no matter how often it is depicted on film, it always seems like there is more to say about that hell. Movies like “The Last Full Measure” from… Read More ›
Movie Review: “Dolittle”
editor’s note: this review will indeed involve specific details about what occurs in the movie. In a climactic moment of “Dolittle,” our hero sticks his hands up a dragon’s rectum and begins pulling out bones and armor before the dragon… Read More ›
Movie Review: “Bad Boys for Life”
The new entry in the “Bad Boys” franchise, “Bad Boys for Life,” does not feature Michael Bay at the helm. Even so, the man known for his particular brand of action—affectionately or not, known as “Bayhem”—is certainly in evidence here… Read More ›
Movie Review: “Like a Boss”
tvWith Rose Byrne, Tiffany Haddish, and Salma Hayek leading the cast, there is certainly the necessary on screen talent for the new comedy, “Like a Boss,” to be one truly hysterical ride. That sense is only enhanced with addition of… Read More ›
Movie Review: “Les Misérables” (2019)
An alternate version of Ladj Ly’s new film, “Les Misérables,” would end without the final 20 minutes. It would be a powerful and sad film, one which gets its point across and makes the viewer contemplate. With those last 20… Read More ›
Movie Review: “1917”
editor’s note: We spoke to the cast and crew of “1917” at New York Comic-Con earlier this year. Be sure to listen to the interviews on our podcast. One of the things we have been told about Sam Mendes’ new… Read More ›
Movie Review: “Just Mercy”
The act of discussing an important issue in a film does not magically confer exceptional status to the movie itself. That is, making a movie about an important topic doesn’t necessarily make the movie important, nor does it make the… Read More ›
Movie Review: “Cats” (2019)
In the movie (and presumably play, but I’ve never seen it) “Six Degrees of Separation,” a con man claims to be the son of Sidney Poitier, and that Poitier is working on a film version of “Cats.” The explanation of… Read More ›
