“The Critic” is a classic case of a fantastic performance and lead character in a movie that doesn’t rise to the same level of impact. This is an enjoyable dramatic thriller, and I don’t completely hate the directions it goes in. But when director Anand Tucker and writer Patrick Marber’s adaptation of Anthony Quinn’s 2015 […]
“My Penguin Friend” is inspired by a rather unique true story. It begins with a lovely opening credits sequence featuring a map, followed by a rather dark prologue involving a father, Brazil fisherman Joao, who loses his child dies at sea. A bit too intense for the family film crowd the rest of the movie […]
I love M. Night Shyamalan’s breakthrough thriller “The Sixth Sense”. It’s on my 100 Favorite Movies list. Maybe even in the Top 50. But I’ve been hit and miss with the director over the past decade and a half. He delivered two clunkers in “The Last Airbender” and “After Earth” but began a comeback in […]
“The Exorcism” stars Russell Crowe. Last year he was “The Pope’s Exorcist”, but this is completely different. It’s not your typical horror movie. This is mostly about the making of a horror movie. Crowe plays an actor named Anthony, who is trying to make a comeback with a role as a priest in a film […]
“Shirley” stars Academy Award winner Regina King as Shirley Chisholm. In 1968, she was the first African American woman elected to U.S. Congress, representing the state of New York. In 1972, she campaigned to run for President of the United States, hoping to secure the Democratic nomination. This film is mostly a chronicle of that […]
“Being Mary Tyler Moore”, HBO’s new documentary on the legendary actress/comedian, opens with clips from a 1966 interview between Moore and talk show host David Susskind. He’s on the attack, questioning the value of women in society and, specifically, Moore’s character on “The Dick Van Dyke Show”. Moore fights back confidently, defending Laura Petrie and […]
“Stay Awake” is family drama centered on two brothers who are trying to figure out what’s best for themselves — and their mother, who’s addicted to prescription drugs. Both Steffan Fin Argus, who plays older brother Ethan, and Wyatt Oleff, as high school senior Derek, deliver breakthrough performances. Their complex characters are portrayed with a […]
“When You Finish Saving the World” premiered at Sundance in January 2022. Even with the pedigrees of star Julianne Moore, writer/director Jesse Eisenberg and producer Emma Stone, A24 decided to hold onto the film for an entire year before releasing it. Would it have made some noise this awards season if A24 had even given […]
Writer/director Michel Franco’s “Sundown” was designed to emit discussion. Neil (Tim Roth) is a wealthy Brit on vacation in Acapulco with his sister and her two kids. About 10 minutes in, we get the film’s juiciest, most shocking moment. This is a truly guilty pleasure section. You not only feel badly about what’s happening — […]
This fifth installment in the “Scream” series is a slasher/horror movie about slasher/horror movies. Its title is simply “Scream”. If you’re wondering why it’s not “Scream 5” or even “5cream”, well, there’s a joke about halfway into the film that answers that question. It’s one of the sharper self-aware moments in a script that’s packed […]