The early 1970’s religious movement that captured the nation is resurrected in this inspired effort from Lionsgate and The Erwin Brothers. It’s the latest collaboration for the studio and filmmakers, who previously delivered box office hit “I Can Only Imagine”, along with powerful, faith-based dramas “I Still Believe” and “American Underdog”. “Jesus Revolution” is an […]
“Operation Mincemeat” is the Britain-based, true story, WWII drama of the 1943 secret operation to pull-off a massive Allied invasion of occupied Sicily. Or, as Colin Firth’s Naval officer Ewen Montagu says, “We’re going to play a humiliating trick on Hitler.” Firth headlines the year’s best ensemble cast to date. Montagu teams with fellow officer […]
“My Salinger Year” is one of the best movies of 2021 so far, highlighted by yet another showcase performances from Margaret Qualley. She was the shining star of 2017’s sinfully overlooked “Novitiate”. And she sparkled in her scenes with Brad Pitt in Quentin Tarantino’s “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”. In “Salinger”, Qualley plays 23-year […]
Up in the North Pole, Jolly Ol’ St. Nick is getting ready for his annual Christmas Eve trip around the world. This year is a bit different, though. Santa will need a negative COVID-19 test result before hopping in his sleigh. And he’ll need to provide the reindeer with masks (though, for safety purposes, Rudolph’s […]
Other than the title and lead actors, I knew nothing about “The Secrets We Keep” before I watch it. So, in order for you to be equally surprised by this Bleecker Street drama, I’m going to keep a lot of the plot details secret. But not my thoughts. Writer/director Yuval Adler proves you don’t need […]
“Mr. SOUL!” chronicles the life of Ellis Haizlip — producer and host of the groundbreaking public broadcasting show “SOUL!”, which ran from 1968-’73. Based in NYC, the program showcased African American singers, dancers, poets and political figures — breaking both barriers and rules along the way. As director, Ellis’s niece, Melissa Haizlip, beautifully presents all […]
One of my top memories from attending the 2016 Critics Choice Awards was a conversation with comic actress Gillian Jacobs. She was there representing her movie, “Don’t Think Twice”, which was nominated for Best Comedy. We chatted for awhile, and then Jacobs asked how long I was staying in Los Angeles. I told her I […]
“Marona’s Fantastic Tale” was actually one of the 32 eligible contenders for a 2019 Best Animated Feature Academy Award nomination. But last year was very competitive and “Marona” was overlooked. The GKIDS release comes out digitally/online on June 12. That’s when this creatively elaborate, innovative and deeply moving film will finally get its day. Romanian […]
Just when you thought “Rocky” was out of the cinematic ring for good… he’s back. And he proves he has one more great round in him. “40 Years of Rocky: The Birth of a Classic” is a documentary short, narrated by — who else? — Sylvester Stallone. Writer, director, producer and editor Derek Wayne Johnson […]
“Driveways” was filmed a few years ago near my neck of the woods in rural Upstate New York. Hong Chau (who deserved an Oscar nomination for her performance in 2017’s “Downsizing”) stars as single-mom Kathy. She’s studying to be a nurse (doing medical transcriptions to make money) while raising 8-year-old Cody (Lucas Jaye from “Fuller […]