I like heist films, and this one helpfully applies many of the genre’s greatest hits, but it’s mostly a miss.
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‘Blitz’ | Technically Brilliant, Emotionally Lacking
It’s nearly flawless in its production and art direction, but why don’t I have the feels?
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‘Cruel Intentions’ | New Adaptation is Nasty Fun
I wasn’t sure at first if I could enjoy such dastardly doings, but, hey, it’s just a fictional streaming series, so why not?
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Emilia Pérez | Early Awards Contender
The few dips into melodrama are forgiven as a natural part of this genre hybrid.
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‘Call Me Ted’ | You’ve Probably Watched His Channels
Billionaires today are weird (Elon Musk) and creepy (Jeff Bezos), but there was a time when we settled for eccentric, and that was Ted.
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‘Hippo’ Review | Hard to Handle
Unpleasant to watch, and peopled with characters ranging from shrill to creepy.
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‘Breath of Fire’ | Grifting Gurus
Growing up, her friends knew her simply as Katie Griggs. A gregarious All-American, she was destined to become the leader of something.
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‘Classified’ | Aaron Eckhart as Action Hero
Eckhart has been a dependable journeyman for more than twenty years already. Here he is tasked with leading- hero status.
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‘My Name is Alfred Hitchcock’ | Treat for Fans
The doc assumes you already have at least some familiarity with the Hitchcock catalog, and it is most enjoyable for fans who are ready to get granular
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‘The Last of the Sea Women | Goes Deep
Women in their 60s, 70s, plunge off a Korean island of. It is punishing, hard work, and even dangerous, but they love it.
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‘The Apprentice’ | Not Shtick, Not Comedy
This ain’t no SNL skit, it’s an engrossing character study of Trump.
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‘The Wait’ | Classy Thriller 3 out of 4 Stars
The Wait is really more like a terrific episode of Twilight Zone in an unusual location.
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‘The Radleys’ | Biting Humor from the Burbs
There comes a time when teenagers learn something new about their parents. Sometimes it’s gross out-bedroom facts, for instance. And sometimes it’s that their folks are…vampires. The Radleys are a normal, mundane, suburban family in Scotland (I think, but it might be England) who go to work and school each…
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‘Monster Summer’ | Mild Tween Thriller
Borrows heavily from Goosebumps to Goonies, but should entertain the YA audiences at whom it’s aimed.
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‘Lover of Men’ | Was Abe Lincoln Gay?
Schools definitely didn’t address this question when I was coming up, but Ivy League historians appear with the receipts.
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‘Lee’ | Kate Winslet Goes to War
Gives Kate Winslet an extraordinary main character to inhabit. It should do well in arthouse theatres.
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‘Wolfs’ | Clooney and Pitt Make it Look Good
There’s not much to it, but damned if the hunks don’t carry the whole thing on their broad shoulders and square jaws.
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‘Will & Harper’ | Surprisingly Moving
Seeing the real Ferrell break down and cry is just one of the many surprises on this road trip through America with a 61-year-old in a dress?
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‘Wise Guy: David Chase and The Sopranos’
Who would’ve guessed that the key to the already legendary series is within the dysfunctional relationship between the creator and his mother?
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‘Merchant Ivory’ | Kings of Costume Dramas
Like Currier and Ives, just the names Ivory-Merchant conjure a specific brand of images.
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‘The Other Laurens’ | Two Better Than One?
Intriguing, nevertheless, doesn’t quite stick the landing. But it’s close.
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‘Between the Temples’ | Small Film, Big Heart
A big-hearted romance with a mildly eccentric perspective, and a cutely odd disposition
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‘Jackpot’ | Only Half-Full
There’s something a little endearing about this slapdash, frenetic chase movie :John Cena and Awkwafina, the co-stars.
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‘Skincare’ | 3 out of 4 Stars | Elizabeth Banks
It’s not easy to put this film neatly into a box;, fortunately, the great Elizabeth Banks is a constant and a grounding presence.
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‘Cursed Waters: Creature of Lake Okanagan’
First the good news: the deep lake creature known as Ogopogo makes his home (or not) in a stunningly gorgeous lake that I’d never heard of before.
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‘Chimp Crazy’ | These People are Bananas
There is no denying that groups of people who have “special” relationships with exotic animals, from chimps to tigers, are their own special breed.
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‘Trap’ | 2 ½ out of 4 Stars | Spoiler-Free
He sh*ts the bed about as often as not, but I like the way that M. Night Shyamalan swings for the fences.
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‘The Last Front’ | Mixed Period Drama
A mostly worthy art house release that has moments bordering on melodrama, but a game cast rise to the occasion in an otherwise slow-moving period drama.
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‘Dance First’ | Beckett Bio with Byrne
Gabriel Byrne’s known strength at underplaying works well for this biopic of literary genius Samuel Beckett, but the screenplay is lacking.
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The Beautiful Summer | 3 out of 4 Stars
Lush and sensuous, this period drama will be right at home with art house fans.
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‘Girl You Know It’s True’ | 2½ out of 4 Stars
This fictionalized version is still a story that seems impossible yet true. These guys were canceled before we used that word in this context.
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‘The Instigators’ | Frenemies Damon & Affleck
I don’t want to make a big thing about it – it’s just an action-comedy, not an Oscar hopeful. But this movie is a good example of what it is.
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‘Elizabeth Taylor: The Lost Tapes’
The most enjoyable aspect is just listening to her dish. She’s a delicious gossip, even about herself. Heck, mostly about herself.
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‘Kneecap’ | Belfast’s Beastie Boys?
It’s counterintuitive to call a film full of sex, drugs, and profanity “delightful,” but here we are. It is.
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‘Batman: Caped Crusader’ | Vintage & New Mixed
A reimagining, takes us back to the earliest days of the comic, but with modern twists in the characters.
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‘The Last Breath’ Review | Snark Week
Perhaps a low budget reduced the screentime of the shark in this one, but you don’t miss it.
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‘Charlie Hustle & the Matter of Pete Rose’
He must be the most beloved figure who actually isn’t easy to like. At age 81, he is a tragic figure. Is redemption too late?
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‘National Anthem’ Film Review
At their best, films can transport us to a place we’ve never been before and introduce us to people we probably would have never met
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‘Clear Cut’ | Definition of B-Movie
At less than 90 minutes long, this thriller overstays its welcome, in spite of some cool crossbow shootings and an exploding meth trailer.
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‘Widow Clicquot’ Review
gorgeously shot, but may be too quiet for some movie-goers.
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‘Dandelion’ | When a Film is Perfectly Chill
Quiet and leisurely paced, though pulsing with a distinct rhythm, Dandelion is a showcase for its star, Kiki Layne.
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‘The Outlaws” | It’s Almost a Crime
Alas, this Western suffers from a budget that didn’t allow for better elements
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‘Cora Bora’ | Star Vehicle or Hoopty?
Straining as hard as it can to display “Indie Cred,” the film gets good but you’ll have to wait to get there.
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‘Quad Gods’ | This Is How They Roll
Everything from gunshots to a popped tire unexpectedly brought them to this place. But don’t count their future out.
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Tiger Stripes | The Horrors of Adolescence
Director Amanda Nell Eu takes us to a village in Malaysia, where the mean girls are just as mean as they are in the U.S.
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‘The Mandela Effect Phenomenon’ | Forget It
Forest Gump didn’t say “Life is Like a Box of Chocolates” and Darth Vader didn’t say “Luke, I Am Your Father”
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‘Cottontail’ | A Heartfelt Tale of Loss | 4 Stars
A quiet, moving film. Cottontail follows a widower from Tokyo to England to scatter his late wife’s ashes.
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‘Mastermind: To Think Like a Killer ‘ Series Review
True Crime is surely the hottest genre in the country at the moment. This profile of the lady who pioneered catching killers is worth a look.
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‘Latency’ | Woulda Been a Better TV Episode
A timely concept, this thriller never quite reaches its potential, but it looks quite cool.
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Murder Company | Kelsey Grammer and Co.
The poster sets your expectations for a moving War movie. Unfortunately, the actual film is dull and never realizes its potential.
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‘A Man of Reason’ | Showdown in K-Town
Korean Cinema is just as diverse as Hollywood’s films, including violent action flicks that compare to Tinsel Town’s releases.
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‘Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F’ | Heat Still On?
It’s clear that nostalgia is going to carry this 4th installment of the franchise. That’s not a bad thing.
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‘Daddio’ | Sean Penn and Dakota Johnson’s Intimate Ride
There’s something liberating about a conversation someone you’ll never see again. You can spill your secrets or invent a whole new personal history.
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‘Hit Man’ Low Stakes, High Payoff, Good Film
This good-natured romance/action film is what I will now think of when I tell someone about a good movie on Netflix to watch.
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John Woo’s “First Real Film” Newly Restored and Released
It’s been 40 years since famed director John Woo made this cheerfully violent, gleefully bloody film that’s been restored to digital 2K
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How to See Lady Gaga’s Chromatica Ball Concert Film
I may not buy her next record, but I’d definitely go to her next concert
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‘Jim Henson Idea Man’ | Gentle Genius
If I’m doing the math right, my generation was possibly the first to have Sesame Street as a part of everyday life.
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‘Ezra’ | Likeable Dramedy for These Fraught Times
A sweet, good-natured little film
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‘Creation of the Gods I: Kingdom of Storms’
As the old saying goes, “This is the sort of thing you’ll like, if you like this sort of thing.”
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MoviePass, MovieCrash | If It Seems too Good to Be True…
MoviePass went from a Wall Street darling to almost literally worthless within 8 years.
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‘Stax: Soulsville, U.S.A.’ Review | Groove Was in the Heart
If Motown was slick and unbeatable as a crossover label, Stax Records was greasier and more soulful.
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‘You Can’t Run Forever’ Review | A Casual Killer
If it didn’t have a promising start and a gleefully chilly performance by J.K. Simmons, you could simply write it off as a low-budget B movie.
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‘Run!’ | A Horror Chase in the Desert
There are seeds at the core of the horror-thriller Run! That, with a few tweaks and a couple of casting changes, would make for a very good movie.
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‘Evil Does Not Exist’ | Art House Flick from Genius Director
Hamaguchi’s follow up to Drive My Car, is far less accessible, excruciatingly slow, and rather oblique in its final act.
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‘She is Conann’ | Kill Me Now
There are a good many positive reviews of She is Conann. You can see them at this link. Unfortunately, my own experience sitting through this French, gender-reversing take on the story was just too weird, too silly, and even at a modest hour and 47 minutes, too long. Conann, our…
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‘Unfrosted’| Seinfeld’s Silly Story Just Ok
Just ask Madonna, there’s
nothing like a feature film to humble someone who is otherwise great at their preferred craft.
‘Monkey Man’ John Wick Meets Bruce Lee
The violence is graphic, gory and absolutely delightful (remember this is only a movie). The story has enough unique elements to stand on its own.
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People Are Still Discovering ‘Baby Reindeer’ and Loving It
The most common description I’ve seen of Baby Reindeer is “disturbing.” That’s not wrong, but this thriller with some comedic touches is so much more.
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The Greatest Night in Pop| Behind the Scenes of the Biggest Stars Coming Together
Some said it sounded like a Pepsi commercial. Others said is sounded like a Disney tune. And those were some of the artists involved.
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‘A Creature Was Stirring’ Review | Wait for It
Stay for the whole thing and you may decide that you‘ve actually just viewed a decent psychological thriller.
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Kevin James: Irregardless | The Comedy Special Drought is Over
Kevin James, basically working clean, crushes the latest streaming stand-up specials by miles. I was getting really tired of preaching instead of joke-telling
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‘Sunrise’ Review; What’s at Stake?
He looks like a sad drifter – not a pathetic homeless person but a rambling guy who may or may not have someplace specific to go and something to do that is almost like a mission. That’s Alex Pettyfer in the new horror(ish) flick, “Sunrise.” Taken in by a kindly…
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‘Dumb Money’ | Smart Movie
Sometimes movies die a quiet death at the box office for no good reason. Maybe the promotional budget was small or a bigger title opened on the same Friday.
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‘Roadkill’ | Middle of the Road Grindhouse
Meant to look like a classic early 80s Grindhouse splatter flick with one twist you can see from 6 exits away and another that’s a genuine surprise.
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‘The Mummy Murders’ | Terrible Title, Decent Horror Flick
This smart psychological thriller/horror is not about mummies, it’s about a present-day serial killer and the journalist with whom he shares his secrets.
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‘Saltburn’ | Is it For You?
Can you like a movie without really liking any of the characters in it? If you can, you might just get a kick out of this off-center story.
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‘The Best (and the rest) of 2023’
Here are my best films, plus Best Horror, Best Animated, etc.
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‘The Holdovers’ | 4 Stars | One of the Year’s Best
Almost 20 years later, Payne delivers the perfect companion piece to Sideways, even though the stories, settings and most of the cast are completely different.
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‘The Disappearance of Shere Hite’ | Seventies Icon of Sexuality
She was among the most famous names in the country with as many detractors as fans
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‘Do Not Disturb’ | Love Bites, Love Bleeds
The dread is in the air – it’s thick…kinda like the blood will be later on in this B-movie (ish) Horror flick
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‘The Killer’ | A Bullseye for Boredom
You think the assassin’s job is boring? Try watching a movie about his days.
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‘Screwdriver’ | A Half-Empty Toolbox
Comes out with great, creepy energy, but doesn’t have the juice to go all the way.
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‘Blackberry : When a Good Movie Bombs, Fight Back & Rent It.’
The palm device was everywhere…until the iPhone came. Great David & Goliath story and unfairly overlooked at the box office.
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‘King Crimson at 50 | Film Celebrates Prog Rock Pioneers’
The Legendary Band King Crimson Hits Big Screen Before Going to On-Demand Soon.
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‘The Burial’ | Gentle Courtroom Drama Worth a Look
Contrary to its title, it’s NOT a scary movie. More like a gentle Tuesday night view at home.
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‘Why Scorsese’s New Film Isn’t Among His Top 5’
There isn’t a better example of bravura filmmaking than director Martin Scorsese’s new Killers of the Flower Moon. It is almost unrivaled in every facet of the art and surely one of the best of the year. But is it really his best, as some have suggested? “Almost unrivaled” because…
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Russell Crowe Makes ‘The Pope’s Exorcist’ Better Than it Had to Be
The shopworn title makes it sound like just another schlocky horror, but it uses subtle wisecracks and from Russell Crowe to make it worth a watch,.
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Bummer Summer or Sizzlin’ Cinema? Quick Seasonal Wrap
Barbie may live in a pink world, but she was red hot at this summer’s cinemas.
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Most Popular Female Gaming Characters in the US.
The gaming industry has seen a surge in female gamers over the past few years, and recent statistics reveal 46% of gamers in the US are women.
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‘AGED’ | Spooky Flick That Doesn’t Get Old
A sprinkle of predictability and a pinch of déjà vu actually work well for a film like “Aged.”
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‘The Angry Black Girl and Her Monster’
Yep, that is the actual title, and it explains itself about as literally as you could possibly do.
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‘Joyland’ | Love and Tragedy in Dysfunctional Family
Whether because of, or in spite of, the conservative repression tied to society and religion in those countries– artful films coming out of Iran and Pakistan have been surprisingly multi-dimensional,
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How to Watch Every Episode of ‘Columbo’ for Free
I feel like a kid again. Falk lived from 1937 to 2011, but his character might just live on forever. Sometimes the Internet turns up a treat.
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Add Megadeth’s Dave Mustaine to the List of Celeb Lines
If the world were divided between Megadeth fans and Metallica fans (which would be silly) then put me down with Mustaine, always.
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The Most Disappointing Game Sequels of All Time
Sometimes it’s just a matter of expectations being too high. Here’s the list as compiled by Metacritic.
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‘Being Mary Tyler Moore’ | She Turned the World On
there has never been a night on network TV as out-of-this-world as Saturday nights in 1973.
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‘Khandahar’with Gerard Butler| No Khan-Do
Gerard Butler, bless his heart, seems to be slipping into that Hollywood purgatory where Nic, Liam and Mickey reside; a place where mediocre movies get sold
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‘Influencer’ | Mean Girls at a Whole Other Level
Don’t you love it sometimes when rooting for the villain is almost kind of the honorable thing to do because the presumed hero is not nearly as cool of a person?
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‘Love to Love You, Donna Summer’ | Deep Dive with the Queen of Disco
Donna Summer was huge when I was coming up through school. I thought she was sexy and a great performer with a powerful voice, but that was it. Not anymore.
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‘How to Create a Sex Scandal’| Intense and Infuriating
Intense, infuriating and somewhat predictable, this gripping docuseries uncovers the evil underneath the Idyllic surface of Mineola, TX.
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Grateful Dead Meet-Up at the Movies Coming Soon
This 11th Annual Meet-Up takes us to their 1991 concert at Soldier’s Field in Chicago for 3 hours.
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Which States are Most Obsessed with Minecraft?
The game is a worldwide phenomenon, but the #1 state in the US may shock you.
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‘To Catch a Killer’ Shailene Woodley Miscast in Dull Cop Film
I honestly thought she was still a teenager, Woodley’s youthful appearance and demeanor make her entirely unbelievable as a cop.
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‘Air’ | Quality “Hang Time” with Affleck and Damon
somehow manages to makes us lean in and feel as if we have a stake in a sports shoe company. It’s quite a feat (feet?)
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15 Video Games You Can Finish in 3 Hours or Less
A week or two ago, I showed you the list of games that take the longest to complete—now we go the opposite the direction.
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‘A Little White Lie’ | Eclectic Cast, Delightful Results
A Little White Lie comes out of the gate poised to crash and burn or be a pleasant surprise. It’s nice when it’s the latter.
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Listen to new Pretenders Song from Upcoming Album
Through all the changes over the decades, Hynde and Pretenders remain one of the all-time best bands.
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‘The Tutor’ | New Twist on an Old Twist
The set up looks like an easy mystery to solve- not a bad thing. But a twist on a twist in the final third of the film keeps us on our toes to the end.
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‘On the Edge’| European Crime Thriller: 3 ½ out of 4 Stars
Takes a lot of tropes of the genre and twists them into a fresh way of storytelling.
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‘From Black’ | Good Looking Take on a Low-Budget Horror
Solid production and cast that belie what is surely an ultra-low budget flick, Doesn’t reach the high bar, but keeps the viewer curious, if not exactly rapt.
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Culture Club with Howard Jones and Berlin Tour Dates|Ticket Info
The thing is, most of these guys still sound pretty good for “legacy” acts. Damn good.
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‘TRANSFORMERS: Rise of the Beasts’ Early Robot Details+Trailer
In the Transformers eco-system, the toys came first, so it makes sense to tie ’em all together. The trailer looks pretty cool.
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Greta Van Fleet Release New Album and Tour Dates
I don’t know, man. I keep going back and forth on these dudes. This new album and tour will be the final proof either way for me.
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Time on Your Hands? These Video Games Take the Longest.
Hundreds, if not thousands of hours, brah. I’ll be dead by then.
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Trials to Triumph | A Good Fit for Christian Summer Camps
will play well at church summer camps this season or in Sunday schools. With the right audience, the film is going to be received in a whole different light.
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