Picture yourself in a chair in a theater…with popcorn, candy and a cold drink. The movie begins, and you watch quite intently, a girl who can’t straightly think. Natalie Portman’s “Lucy in the Sky” character, Lucy Cola, is inspired by real-life, former NASA astronaut Lisa Nowak. She made headlines back in 2007 when she was […]
There have been plenty of movies in which the same actor plays two different characters — either twins or two versions of themselves. Will Smith’s new film tries to put a “fresh” spin on this concept. In “Gemini Man”, Smith plays Henry Brogan – a government hitman with 72 confirmed kills. On the brink of […]
“Where’d You Go, Bernadette” is co-written and directed by Richard Linklater (“Boyhood”). It stars two-time Oscar-winner Cate Blanchett as the title character. And as she did in “Blue Jasmine”, Blanchett sinks herself into a role that’s dark, complex, unsettling and relatable. Bernadette lives with husband Elgie (Billy Crudup). He’s a successful software developer working at […]
“The Secret Life of Pets 2” is Illumination Entertainment’s sequel to their 2016 mega hit. Director Chris Renaud is back, along with most of the principal cast. But the vibe, as a whole, is much different from the original – and for the better. Patton Oswalt (who broke through as a voice actor as Remy […]
Author Nicola Yoon’s 2015 YA novel “Everything, Everything” was made into a 2017 film by Warner Bros. Now the studio has adapted another Yoon teen romance, going after the same target demo. “The Sun Is Also a Star” pairs two star-crossed lovers: high school seniors Natasha (played by “black-ish” actress Yara Shahidi) and Daniel (“Riverdale”’s […]
“Little Woods” debuted a year ago at the Tribeca Film Festival. NEON, which acquired the distribution rights, is finally releasing the indie drama. The film is set in Little Woods, North Dakota, a town where newcomers in the oil business are enjoying the benefits of the fracking boom, but many of the locals are still […]
“The Fault in Our Stars”, “If I Stay”, “Me and Earl and the Dying Girl”, “Me Before You” and “Then Came You” are just SOME of the recent movies involving young people falling in love while dealing with an illness or medical emergency. The latest is “Five Feet Apart”. Unlike most of the others is […]
The hook (or gimmick) of the new PG-13 romantic comedy, “Isn’t It Romantic”, is that it sets out to expose the flaws in… PG-13 romantic comedies. But it doesn’t exactly deliver on its promise. Rebel Wilson, in her first leading role, plays Natalie. She’s a New York City architect who’s always despised rom-coms because of […]
“Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” is Sony Pictures Animation’s highly-anticipated CGI Spidey movie. It features an ambitious story combined with equally enthusiastic visuals. Diehard fans of the Spider-Man comics will find this film enthralling and highly entertaining. But it’s a much tougher sell for everyone else. Miles Morales (voiced by “Dope”’s Shameik Moore) is a 13-year-old, […]
“If Beale Street Could Talk” is director Barry Jenkins’ follow-up to his Oscar-winning “Moonlight”. And there are plenty of carryovers from that film to this one: Intense close-ups and generous use of slow-motion. A supporting performance that’s attracting awards attention, involving a character who doesn’t get much screen time. But what these two films have most […]