There is a moment early on in “Terminator: Dark Fate” where anything seems possible; where it feels like the story truly could head anywhere. It is a false a hope; a lie. “Dark Fate,” the sixth entry in the “Terminator”… Read More ›
reviews
Movie Review: “The Kill Team” (2019)
As sometimes the two things are confused, it must be stated that just because the story told in a movie is important, the movie is not automatically a “good” movie. In this case, no one would argue that the tale,… Read More ›
Movie Review: “Zombieland: Double Tap”
It has been 10 years since the first “Zombieland” movie arrived on the big screen and not only have things changed in our world, they’ve changed within that of the franchise’s as well. Yes, the specifics are different what with… Read More ›
Movie Review: “Cyrano, My Love”
Watching the new movie “Cyrano, My Love” it is easy to recall the Oscar-winning “Shakespeare in Love.” After all, the latter is a tale about Shakespeare and his troubles writing “Romeo and Juliet” and the former is a tale about… Read More ›
Movie Review: “Gemini Man”
Writing about “Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk,” I stated, ” The changes to the language of cinema Ang Lee has made with this work are not yet fully understood, nor codified.” I further referred to the movie as “an oddity.” Here… Read More ›
Movie Review: “Joker”
As an origin story, Todd Phillips’ “Joker” tells us exactly how the Clown Prince of Crime came to be (in this universe anyway). Co-written and directed by Phillips, the movie breaks down exactly what drives Joker to commit unparalleled acts… Read More ›
Movie Review: “In the Tall Grass”
It is all too rare that we see a movie not only establish an intriguing premise, but manage to carry the intrigue forward for the full running time. Written and directed by Vincenzo Natali (based on a novella by Stephen… Read More ›
New York Film Festival Review: “The Irishman”
To say that a reunion of Martin Scorsese with Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci has been eagerly anticipated (at least in certain corners) is an understatement. However long it took, the men have come back together, they have added… Read More ›
Movie Review: “Abominable” (2019)
As the credits began to roll there was no small amount of applause at the press screening I attended for “Abominable.” Children in the audience laughed throughout the movie and adults several times as well, so this ought not have… Read More ›
Movie Review: “Judy” (2019)
Who was Judy Garland when she was not on stage? This is the question that Rupert Goold’s new film, written by Tom Edge (based on the play “End of the Rainbow” by Peter Quilter), attempts to answer. By looking at… Read More ›
Movie Review: “Zeroville”
Do you prefer your movies simple and straightforward, or do you like them to operate as some sort of a fever dream, where one is never quite sure what is taking place, nor whether the events are real or imagined? … Read More ›
Movie Review: “Ad Astra”
So often when movies take us into space, it is so that we can watch things blow up real good. There is, of course, absolutely nothing wrong with that, but it’s also wonderful to see a movie more in the “2001: … Read More ›
Movie Review: “Downton Abbey”
Taking a television series, particularly a beloved one, to the big screen is an incredibly difficult task. Amongst the myriad of potential problems is the issue of needing to come up with a story worthy of being a movie in theaters… Read More ›
Movie Review: “Hustlers” (2019)
Written and directed by Lorene Scafaria and “inspired” by a true story, “Hustlers” is one in a long line of movies that pretends to be deeper and smarter than it is in reality. At one crucial moment for the viewer,… Read More ›
Movie Review: “Freaks” (2019)
There are some movies that totally and completely blow you away; they somehow manage to peel back any and all emotional calluses and hit you were it hurts the most. After watching them you leave the theater shaking, wondering how… Read More ›
Movie Review: “It: Chapter Two”
There is a recurring joke in “It: Chapter Two” that James McAvoy’s Bill Denbrough, an author, doesn’t know how to write a good ending. Rather than simply feeling as though it is a trait of Bill’s work, it comes across… Read More ›
Movie Review: “Blinded by the Light”
The strength and determination it must take to go to a new country, a place where people speak a different language, look at society differently, act differently, live differently, is incredible. Even taking such an action believing it will better… Read More ›
Movie Review: “47 Meters Down: Uncaged”
Much like “Jaws” before it, the shark-based horror film “47 Meters Down” may seem like an unlikely candidate for a sequel and yet, just like “Jaws,” it continues past the first film. We now have a second entry in the… Read More ›
Movie Review: “Cold Case Hammarskjöld”
Appearing front and center in the documentary “Cold Case Hammarskjöld” is the film’s writer-director, Mads Brügger. He tells the story via voiceover, he tells the story directly to those he’s working with, he—quite theatrically—injects himself into everything going on. He… Read More ›
Movie Review: “Dora and the Lost City of Gold”
The animated “Dora the Explorer” television series began after I was too old to be watching such a show. That said, as a good consumer of media, I am well aware of the show and the general structure of an… Read More ›