It’s unclear why director Robert Zemeckis, co-writer Guillermo del Toro, producer Alfonso Cuaron and Warner Bros. thought a new version of “The Witches” was necessary. The 1983 Roald Dahl novel is not one of his most celebrated works. The 1990 movie starring Anjelica Huston, though liked by critics, only made $10 million at the box […]
Here we go again: “Synchronic” is yet another 2020 time travel movie. Unfortunately, it’s not a good one. Directors Justin Benson (who also penned it) and Aaron Moorhead needed a “Total Rewrite”. The set-up is fairly tolerable. Following a bizarre but memorable open, we meet New Orleans paramedics Steve (Anthony Mackie) and Dennis (Jamie Dornan). […]
“Bad Hair” is one of the coolest movies of 2020. It’s not the deepest or the smoothest, but it’s slick, fun and original. Props go to writer/director Justin Simien, who also penned many of the film’s original songs. This isn’t a musical, but it does take place in the music/TV scene of 1989. Cable channel […]
Netflix and director Ben Wheatley (of 2017’s disastrous action indie “Free Fire”) present a new adaptation of the classic novel, “Rebecca”. As most film aficionados know, Alfred Hitchcock directed the 1940 version that won the Best Picture Oscar. I can absolutely see this “Rebecca” taking home some gold statues for its costumes and production design. […]
Actor Dylan O’Brien raced through “The Maze Runner” trilogy. Now he follows that up with a starring role in Paramount’s post-apocalyptic action/adventure romantic comedy (with some drama too), “Love and Monsters”. O’Brien plays Joel Dawson. For the past seven years, the 24-year-old has been living in an underground bunker with a dozen fellow survivors. Joel […]
Writer/Director Cooper Raiff has created a breakthrough movie about college, college students and the college experience. Sound impossible? How about if I add that Raiff is also the lead actor in “Shithouse”. And that Raiff is only 23-years-old and this is his feature film debut in all three roles. The title refers to one of […]
You know what we could all use right now during these crazy times? A Liam Neeson action/thriller! Unfortunately, “Honest Thief” is low in both the action and thrills departments — and is a middle of the road entry in his specialty genre. Neeson plays Tom Carter. He admits early on that he’s robbed a dozen […]
Yes, there have been an arena full of music icon documentaries made over the past few years. But trust me — this one tops the charts. “Harry Chapin: When in Doubt, Do Something” is a comprehensive and fulfilling look at the legendary singer/songwriter, who died in 1981 at the age of 38. It celebrates the […]
Director Justin Baldoni follows-up his 2019 drama “Five Feet Apart”, about teens with cystic fibrosis falling in love, with a somewhat similar story. The major difference is his latest, “Clouds” is directly based a true story — the life of Zach Sobiech, a Minnesota high school senior with terminal cancer. Fin Argus plays Zach and […]
“The War with Grandpa” was shot in May 2017. Why is it finally being released more than three years later? Well, it used to be a Weinstein Company movie and was in limbo for most of that time until 101 Studios picked it up. This family comedy, based on a 1984 book, is basically “Diary […]