“Sound of Metal” is one of the best movies of 2020. It’s also one of the top movie experiences of recent years. Riz Ahmed (“Nightcrawler”) gives a thoroughly commanding performance as Ruben. He’s a recovering addict and drummer in a heavy metal band fronted by girlfriend Lou (Olivia Cooke). Years of exposure to loud music […]
John Belushi was an original cast member of “Saturday Night Live”. He starred in two of the most iconic and quotable comedies of the past 50 years: “Animal House” and “The Blues Brothers”. Most people are very familiar with his work and the circumstances surrounding his death. Did the world really need a new John […]
“Ammonite” is the story of 19th century British fossil collector and paleontologist Mary Anning. She runs a tourist shop in Dorset, Southwest England, with her elderly mother. But her passion is searching for rare rocks and marine fossils in the cliffs along the English Channel. Her discoveries have made her famous in the collector community. […]
The trend of studios picking-up movies previously in limbo continues. Paramount, the studio that helped give Margot Robbie her big break with 2013’s “The Wolf of Wall Street”, is now distributing her latest film. “Dreamland” first screened in April 2019 at the Tribeca Film Festival. The setting is 1935 Texas. 17-year-old Eugene (played by Finn […]
“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 […]
Is “Hillbilly Elegy” the movie that will finally earn six-time Oscar nominee Amy Adams and seven-time Oscar nominee Glenn Close their gold statues? Well, maybe for one of them. Director Ron Howard’s latest drama is inspired by J.D. Vance’s book and life story. The film chronicles Vance’s teen to early adult life with his family […]
Director Christopher Landon’s latest horror take on a classic movie concept was originally titled “Freaky Friday the 13th”. So you can probably guess the plot just from that title (and also why it had to be changed). Landon previously made “Happy Death Day” (the horror version of “Groundhog Day”). He plays-off the body-switching concept for […]
Writer/director Jeff Roda’s “18 to Party” is set in 1984 in Upstate NY. A group of 8th graders have gathered together outside a local club, hoping to get in. They all have different personalities and represent various cliques. Some are more “popular” than others. Some have more confidence than others. What they each seem to […]
It’s amazing that it took a global pandemic for some movies that have been held for a year or two (or three) to finally be released. The latest is “The Informer”, a crime drama with a heck of a cast. It was filmed in 2017 and was originally supposed to open in Spring 2018. Well, […]
“The Life Ahead” is the first movie appearance in a decade for legendary actress Sophia Loren. It’s also her third collaboration with son Edoardo Ponti, the film’s co-writer/director. “The Life Ahead” is based on the 1975 novel, The Life Before Us by French author Romain Gary. This adaptation is set in Italy. It’s a gentle, […]