“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 […]
Edgar Wright is a director known for breaking the genre conventions of comedy, romance, action, thriller and even “end of the world” films. This time he twists-up the “coming of age” story AND horror with “Last Night in Soho”. Thomasin McKenzie had her breakthrough moment opposite Ben Foster in 2018’s “Leave No Trace”. She followed […]
“Hard Luck Love Song” is based on a country music song. The script doesn’t just borrow a line here or there. Nearly all the major story points match lyrics from singer/songwriter Todd Snider’s 2006 ballad “Just Like Old Times”. And the film’s unconventional nature doesn’t end there. The first half hour or so is basically […]
“Supernova” is writer/director Harry Macqueen’s second film. He brings together two acting heavyweights — Colin Firth and Stanley Tucci — for this heavy, set in the UK drama. Firth’s Sam (a celebrated pianist) and Tucci’s Tusker (a successful author and astronomy aficionado) have been a couple for a long time. They decide to take a […]