In “Argylle”, Bryce Dallas Howard stars as spy novel series author Ellie Conway. On a train, she meets real spy Aidan (played by Sam Rockwell) and gets caught-up in an escapade that puts her life — and the world — on the line. It’s also supposed to make you question what’s real and what’s fictional. […]
Riding the popularity of recent murder mystery films such as “Knives Out” (and the upcoming sequel), the “Murder on the Orient Express” and “Death on the Nile” remakes, and the generically titled “Murder Mystery”, comes a more tongue-in-cheek approach to the whodunit genre. Agatha Christie’s play “The Mousetrap” has been performed continuously in London’s West […]
Former rom-com queen Sandra Bullock returns to the genre in “The Lost City”. In real life Bullock is 16 years older than male love interest Channing Tatum. Such an age-gap is often a non-issue in the movie world, plus Bullock has down this path before, falling for 12-years-younger Ryan Reynolds in 2009’s “The Proposal”. The […]
I haven’t been the biggest fan of director Paul W.S. Anderson’s work. 2011’s “The Three Musketeers” and 2014’s “Pompeii” both landed near the top of my “Worst Movies of the Year” lists. But he has directed several installments of the very successful “Resident Evil” series, starring his wife, Milla Jovovich. And the director-actor duo have […]
“The Climb” debuted at the Cannes Film Festival in May 2019. A year and a half later, Sony Pictures Classics is finally releasing what they’re describing as a “dark comedy”. But there’s no need to ride over to a nearby multiplex and sit in the dark to see a film that doesn’t provide an ounce […]
Sometimes a film defies its genre. “The Broken Hearts Gallery” is one such example. It’s designed to be a romantic comedy. However, this first major studio rom-com released theatrically since the COVID shutdown is not the least bit romantic. And it has zero moments of legit comedy. I root for first-time directors. Fresh perspectives from […]
Liam Neeson and real-life son Micheal Richardson play father and son Robert and Jack. Jack wants to sell his parents’ former home in Italy and use his proceeds to buy the London art gallery he’s currently running with his soon-to-be-ex-wife. So Jack and Dad (a famous artist) head to Tuscany to spruce-up the villa, which […]
The “Artemis Fowl” book series began in 2001. That’s the same year the “Harry Potter” film series launched. “Potter” ushered-in a whole genre of page to screen YA franchises, and “Artemis” was calculated to be the next biggie. And author Eoin Colfer complied, keeping the books coming. Movie rights were captured early (by Miramax, and […]
Luck is not on “Clover”’s side. This low-budget crime dramedy, Tarantino wannabe is now available on Video on Demand. But there won’t be much demand to watch it — and for good reason. Mickey & Jimmy, a couple of bumbling, family Irish bar-owning brothers, owe Tony, the big mob boss in town, a chunk of […]
This is one of those times when a generic title pairs perfectly with it’s generic movie. There’s a lot going on in the dramedy “Greed” — but none of it is worth an investment. Steve Coogan (with glowing pearly white teeth) plays British fashion mogul Sir Richard McCreadie. The aging egomaniac is turning 60. So […]