“My Salinger Year” is one of the best movies of 2021 so far, highlighted by yet another showcase performances from Margaret Qualley. She was the shining star of 2017’s sinfully overlooked “Novitiate”. And she sparkled in her scenes with Brad Pitt in Quentin Tarantino’s “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”. In “Salinger”, Qualley plays 23-year […]
Ted Danson has starred in three successful TV comedies: “Cheers”, “Becker” and “The Good Place”. He’s in an elite club of 3x winners that also includes Betty White and Julia Louis-Dreyfus. But Danson’s not done yet. He now stars in the new NBC comedy series “Mr. Mayor”, which debuts with a two-episode premiere this Thursday […]
“The Boys in the Band” was a groundbreaking 1968 stage play. Two years later, it became a film from “The French Connection” and “The Exorcist” director William Friedkin. In 2018, the play arrived on Broadway with an all-star cast, including Jim Parsons, Zachary Quinto, Matt Bomer and Andrew Rannells. Now comes a new film version […]
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 […]
When I was five years old, I began watching Regis Philbin on TV. “LIVE!” and “Who Wants to Be A Millionaire?” quickly became staples in my house. And I realized, even at a very young age, that I wanted to be on TV— to tell stories and interview celebrities and be energetic… and just be […]
For the past month, I’ve been hosting the Cinema Stories Podcast. Film critic colleagues join me to discuss their favorite indoor movie theater experiences and if & how we’ll be returning to them soon. I’ve had the pleasure of taking-in some in-theater double and triple features over the years. Here are 25 of my favorite […]
When new streaming service HBO Max launches this Wednesday, May 27th, one of the new, original shows you’ll have the chance to check out is “Love Life”. Anna Kendrick, in her first episodic TV series, is one of the executive producers (along with “Bridesmaids” director Paul Feig). Kendrick also stars as Darby. Throughout the 10-episode […]
As studios continue to delay major movie releases because of the Coronavirus, many of their statements have included a common element. Studios such as Disney, Universal, Paramount, Sony and MGM still “believe in the theatrical experience”. They want moviegoers to come together and sit in a theater and watch these films on the big screen. […]
It’s a challenge to successfully write, direct and star in a big-budget, Hollywood film. And three time Academy Award nominee Edward Norton proves exactly that with his new film “Motherless Brooklyn”. This is a detective mystery drama based on a 1999 novel about the interweaving of crime, politics and romance in 1950s New York City. […]
Director John Crowley’s follow-up to the lovely, heartbreaking 2015 romance “Brooklyn” is an ambitious one. “The Goldfinch” is based on author Donna Tartt’s nearly 800-page, 2013 novel that won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. This film version is an epic soap opera, with a 1654 painting of the title bird at its epicenter. The painting […]