’Tis the Season for holiday rom-coms. Ironically however, watching “Happiest Season” won’t make you happy. In fact, this is the most unpleasant movie of the year. And it has nothing to do with the concept: a modern day, seasonal romance involving a young Lesbian couple. It’s the characters, situations, themes and overall tone which combine […]
“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, […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
Former talk show hosts Kathie Lee Gifford and Craig Ferguson star in this rom-com for the AARP set. “Then Came You” is also the title of the 2018 indie rom-com starring Gen-Zers Maisie Williams and Asa Butterfield. Title is the only thing these two movies have in common. Gifford also wrote the screenplay and the […]
“Enola Holmes” is based on a relatively new book series featuring Sherlock’s younger sister. No, she does not appear in any of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s classic works. And this is not a Sherlock-dominated story in which he helps his sis get into the detective business by taking her under his wing. Nor is this […]
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 […]
This latest Disney live-action remake of an animated classic is the new version of the first film I ever attended (while still in my mother’s womb). Director Niki Caro (“The Zookeeper’s Wife”) does NOT go the shot by shot route with “Mulan” (which made me roar with approval). However, this version doesn’t come close to […]