Academy Award winning director Ron Howard (“A Beautiful Mind”) follows-up his powerhouse, underrated 2022 drama “Thirteen Lives” with one of the best films of 2024 so far. “Jim Henson: Idea Man” is a dynamic documentary on the life and career of the Muppets master, available on Disney+. This is a kaleidoscope of a presentation… vivacious […]
“Robot Dreams” was an Academy Award nominee this past season for Best Animated Feature, and it won the Annie Award for Best Independent Animated Feature. NEON gave it a limited release to qualify at the end of 2023 and screened it in select theaters nationwide for one night just before the Oscars. Now, one of […]
“Poolman” is unfortunately not nearly as good as “Birdman”, but there are some influences of that Oscar-winning Best Picture in actor Chris Pine’s directorial debut. Pine, best known for the modern “Star Trek” trilogy, “Wonder Woman” and “Hell or High Water”, also serves as co-writer and star. He plays Darren, a pool cleaner in a […]
“Challengers” is directed by Luca Guadagnino (of “Call Me By Your Name”, “Bones and All” and the recent Salvatore Ferragamo documentary). It was originally supposed to open last September. Then Amazon-MGM pushed it to the end of April. At the time I thought it was because of one of two things: the strikes going on […]
David Dastmalchian provides a refreshing, avant garde take on the late night talk show host role as Jack Delroy, the host of the popular (but not quite as much as “The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson”) program “Night Owls”. It’s Halloween night 1977, and this episode of “Night Owls” changes television forever. That’s what we’re […]
“Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory” is one of my favorite movies of all-time. I like the 2005 Johnny Depp/Tim Burton version as well. (This latest “Wonka” with Timothee Chalamet… not so much.) I think Gene Wilder will always be remembered for playing Willy Wonka, along with many other films, including collaborations with Mel Brooks […]
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 […]
“Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire” is the fifth feature film installment in WB’s decade-long MonsterVerse franchise. I enjoyed the most recent chapter, 2021’s “Godzilla vs. Kong”. 2014’s “Godzilla” was solid… 2017’s “Kong: Skull Island” only so-so… and 2019’s “Godzilla: King of the Monsters” was horrible. Also watched the first couple episodes of AppleTV+ origin […]
This documentary is a trip into the mind of “Star Trek”, “T.J. Hooker” and “Boston Legal” star — and the Priceline Negotiator — William Shatner. If you’re a fan of his, and of acting and entertainment icons, you’ll love that “You Can Call Me Bill” opens up Shatner’s vault, with a treasure trove of clips. […]
“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 […]