Legendary lyricist and playwright Howard Ashman left this world far too soon, dying from AIDS in 1991 at the age of 41. His life, filled with triumphs and tragedy, is celebrated in “Howard”, available now on Disney+. The documentary is directed by Ashman’s friend, colleague and “Beauty and the Beast” producer Don Hahn (“Waking Sleeping […]
“Hamilton”. The word and the show have defined Broadway for the past five years. But with the lights of the Great White Way dimmed for at least the rest of 2020, Disney and Lin-Manuel Miranda are bringing the stage phenomenon to homes across the nation. Two complete live performances of “Hamilton”, with the original cast, […]
“Military Wives” is a movie about… military wives. “The Full Monty” director Peter Cattaneo was inspired by the women who remain behind while their spouses go off to war. Specifically, this story centers on a group of British spouses who, while their husbands are fighting in Afghanistan, decide to start-up a choir. Kristin Scott Thomas […]
While watching “The Painter and the Thief”, I had to keep reminding myself that this isn’t a narrative film. It’s a documentary — that really doesn’t feel like one. And that’s not just because of the way it’s shot, that there’s no omniscient narrator, or because the timeline keeps jumping back and forth. It’s mainly […]
The new Netflix drama “All Day and a Night” begins with a scene that, in most cases, would be saved until the final act. It’s not a spoiler to reveal that Jah (“Moonlight”’s Ashton Sanders) shoots and kills a couple in their home. Their daughter witnesses the murders, and shortly Jah begins his long prison […]
Over the past few years, the WWE has tag-teamed with some major film studios, resulting in some good to very good wrestling-themed movies. Included on that card are Sony Pictures Animation’s “Surf’s Up 2: WaveMania” and MGM’s hidden gem “Fighting with My Family”. Now stepping into the ring is the new Netflix family comedy “The […]
One of two new Disneynature documentaries debuting on Disney+ this Spring is “Elephant” (the other is “Dolphin Reef”). “Elephant” stars 40-year-old African elephant Shani and her young son Jomo. The mother and calf travel with their herd hundreds of miles across the Kalahari Desert on an annual quest for clean, healthy drinking water. “Elephant” is […]
Filmmaker Benh Zeitlin released his indie drama “Beasts of the Southern Wild”, through Fox Searchlight, in Summer 2012. It made some noise at the box office and drew acclaim for Zeitlin’s vision and the breakthrough performance of young Quvenzhane Wallis. Six months later, Wallis became the youngest Best Actress nominee in Oscars history. But that […]
“The Accountant” was one of my favorite films of 2016. Director Gavin O’Connor delivered a unique, multi-genre piece of filmmaking with a dynamite Ben Affleck as the title character. Now O’Connor and Affleck reunite on the drama, “The Way Back”. For the most part, this is a much calmer and more straightforward movie — and […]
Threequels. Threequels. Whatcha gonna do? Whatcha gonna do when they come for you? 17 years after “Bad Boys II” – and 25 years after the original – Will Smith and Martin Lawrence team-up again on the third installment in their action dramedy franchise. The two are quite familiar with third chapters. In fact, the last […]