I was intrigued by the premise of “Love Me”, reading that Academy Award nominees Kristen Stewart and Steven Yeun play a buoy and a satellite, respectively. I didn’t know exactly what that meant and avoided trailers and in-depth commentary on the film until I screened it. The opening act is like a live-action version of […]
“Nosferatu” is the latest from director Robert Eggers of “The Witch”, “The Lighthouse”, and “The Northman”. “The Lighthouse” is a crazy, wild, fun movie, and “The Northman” is pretty sophisticated, so my expectations going into this re-imagining… this revision of “Nosferatu” were kinda high. I am so, so disappointed. The plot, you may know it […]
“Absolution” is the latest Liam Neeson action drama, though there actually really isn’t a lot of action in this one. He plays a guy called Thug — an aging gangster and former boxer. His boss for the past 30 years is played by Ron Perlman in a meaningless role. Thug begins to forget his name, […]
Lucy Boynton, who gave a breakthrough performance in “Sing Street”, and was also in “Bohemian Rhapsody” with Rami Malek, clearly loves movies about music. She stars in another one, as Harriet, in “The Greatest Hits”. It’s been two years since her boyfriend, Max, died in a car accident. Harriet suffered a severe head injury. Every […]
Meg Ryan last acted in a movie eight years ago. She also directed 2015’s “Ithaca”. Ryan returns to the director’s chair, and partners with David Duchovny on-screen, in the new romantic comedy, “What Happens Later”. Of course, she’s best known for starring in three of the most iconic rom-coms of all-time: “When Harry Met Sally”, […]
If you don’t count this past February’s “Marlowe” (which was much more of a slow-paced drama than an action film), it’s actually been 16-months since the last Liam Neeson thriller. So, I guess we were due. Here comes “Retribution”. The first thing writer Chris Salmanpour and director Nimrod Antal had to decide was what to […]
Nearly two decades after “Everybody Loves Raymond” wrapped, Ray Romano still can’t seem to get away from the structure, timing and trappings of the TV sitcom. I’m a big fan of smart sitcoms and really enjoyed “Raymond” — sharp writing, relatable humor, classic characters and performances. But you can’t simply take that style, apply it […]
James Cameron released “Avatar” in December 2009, 12 years after his previous film, the powerhouse “Titanic”. “Avatar” was not the first major 3D release of the modern era (there were plenty of animated films already showcasing the technology). But its gigantic success put cartoon dollar signs in the eyeballs of every studio exec. In early […]
Roland Emmerich makes disaster movies. And he’s pretty good at it. “Independence Day”. “The Day After Tomorrow”. “2012”. “Independence Day: Resurgence” (which was an actual disaster of a movie). He also set Washington D.C. ablaze in “White House Down”, gave us an action-packed depiction of the Battle of Midway and even let Godzilla unleash his […]
I really wanted to like “Belfast”. But it’s difficult to get past the numerous odd technical elements in writer/director Kenneth Branagh’s ode to his days growing-up in Northern Ireland in the late ’60s. The film opens with a contemporary shot of Belfast, in color. Then the flashback saga begins and the chroma shifts to black […]