I laughed during one scene in Amy Schumer’s new comedy, “Snatched.” I can therefore not say that the movie is “wholly devoid of laughs.” Plus, that sort of phrasing feels mean, and there’s no reason to be mean. There is… Read More ›
movie review
Movie Review: “Paris Can Wait”
I love big budget spectacle movies… or I love the idea of them anyway; recently I’ve been less impressed with the films themselves (but that’s neither here nor there). It is still nice though, as we head into summer with… Read More ›
Movie Review: “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2”
One of the reasons the original “Guardians of the Galaxy” works so well is that it, at the time it was released, provided an entirely different feel from other movies in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Having just rewatched it, I… Read More ›
Movie Review: “The Fate of the Furious”
Suspension of disbelief. Some movies require it more than others. The entire “Fast and Furious” franchise asks that viewers have oodles upon oodles of it, and the eighth installment in the series, “The Fate of the Furious,” is certainly no… Read More ›
Movie Review: “Norman: The Moderate Rise and Tragic Fall of a New York Fixer”
If you were to ask me how Norman Oppenheimer, Richard Gere’s character in “Norman: The Moderate Rise and Tragic Fall of a New York Fixer,” makes money, I would admit to not having any sort of an idea. The movie… Read More ›
Movie Review: “Your Name.”
Body-swapping movies are a genre all their own and this weekend in the U.S. we’re getting an animated body-swapping feature from Japan, “Your Name.” Directed by Makoto Shinkai, “Your Name.” is the story of two high schoolers, Mitsuha (Mone Kamishiraishi)… Read More ›
Movie Review: “Mine” (2017)
For a significant portion of the new movie “Mine,” a U.S. soldier stands in the desert with one foot on a landmine. The soldier, Mike (Armie Hammer), is forced to wait 52 hours with his foot on the mine, unable… Read More ›
Movie Review: “The Boss Baby”
Some moments in “The Boss Baby” are not just wise, they are brilliant. These moments, and they tend to be frontloaded, offer up a perfect look at just what it’s like to have a baby join a family, of the… Read More ›
Movie Review: “Power Rangers”
It is spoiling absolutely nothing to say that at the end of “Power Rangers,” the big screen update of the long-running television series, the group of five teens at the story’s center will indeed become Power Rangers. That is, after… Read More ›
Movie Review: “Kong: Skull Island”
In an ideal world, a movie is satisfying on all levels – even big spectacle films like “Kong: Skull Island” ought to work across the board. We do not, however, live in an ideal world and therefore it is not… Read More ›
Movie Review: "The Comedian" (2017)
There are many out there who will tell you that people don’t change, that we are who we are and that’s it. Such seems to be the philosophy behind the new Robert De Niro comedy, “The Comedian.” Directed by Taylor… Read More ›
Not a Movie Review: "I Am Not Your Negro"
One of the things that always strikes me about documentaries is just how powerful a tool the form can be. Wielded correctly, with laser focus, it burns away all the extraneous nonsense and gets to the core of an issue;… Read More ›
Movie Review: "xXx: The Return of Xander Cage"
The 1990s offered up a “Knight Rider” spinoff television series called “Team Knight Rider.” The opening of the show, essentially, explained that while in the past one man and one car could accomplish the job of saving the world (or… Read More ›
Movie Review: "Split" (2017)
Horror movies need a good villain. That is, after all, what they’re all about – some individual(s) who can scare the bejesus out of an audience. M. Night Shyamalan’s latest, “Split,” gets about halfway there. It offers a great idea… Read More ›
Movie Review: "A Monster Calls"
What does it take to bring the imagination of one child to life on the big screen? J.A. Bayona has the answer and offers it up in the utterly heartbreaking, completely devastating, totally brilliant “A Monster Calls.” Written by… Read More ›
Movie Review: "20th Century Women"
It feels like this year in general, and this time of year in particular, is the right moment to ask ourselves a question about what constitutes a family. I would argue—as I believe I have previously—that family isn’t simply something… Read More ›
Movie Review: "Patriot’s Day"
Director Peter Berg is great with depicting action sequences in a powerful, believable, riveting manner. We have already seen this once in 2016 with “Deepwater Horizon.” However, Berg is even better, an absolute master, when it comes to militaristic action…. Read More ›
Movie Review: "Allied" (2016)
Robert Zemeckis’ new live action film, “Allied,” opens with Brad Pitt’s character, Max Vatan, parachuting into French Morocco in 1942. He lands in the desert and is quickly picked up and brought to Casablanca. A spy, once in the city… Read More ›
Movie Review: "Life on the Line" (2016)
People have dangerous jobs and telling the story of someone with a dangerous job can make for an exciting, enlightening, dramatic film-going experience. Or, it can feel a little like pandering to that group. “Life on the Line” feels more… Read More ›
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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