“In the Fade” is Germany’s entry in this year’s Academy Awards Foreign-Language category. But as we’ve seen recently, that isn’t the only category in play for foreign-language submissions. Isabelle Huppert was nominated for Best Actress last year for “Elle”, and “Amour” was a Best Picture nominee in 2013. Diane Kruger (“National Treasure”, “Inglourious Basterds”) finally […]
“Lady Bird” marks the directorial debut of actress Greta Gerwig. She also wrote the screenplay. And no, this is not a biopic of former First Lady “Lady Bird” Johnson, but rather an offbeat, coming-of-age comedy that, in the wrong hands, could’ve been quite ordinary. Instead, Gerwig’s smart writing, simple but effective direction, and talented ensemble, […]
Vin Diesel, Dwayne Johnson and Michelle Rodriguez lead an all-star cast as the global blockbuster franchise delivers its most action-packed, high octane adrenaline rush yet in The Fate of the Furious. Now that Dom (Diesel) and Letty (Rodriguez) are married and Brian and Mia have retired from the game—and the rest of the crew has […]
Since when did “The Fast and the Furious” turn into “Mission: Impossible”? This 8th installment in the long-running car racing franchise – “The Fate of the Furious” – veers too far from its lane, making it difficult to qualify as a legit “F & F” film. Sure, there are plenty of insane races and chases […]
“The Girl on the Train” is not a follow-up to 2014’s “Gone Girl”, as the titles might lead you to believe. And the comparisons don’t end there: both films are based on popular novels. Both stories are disappearance/possible murder mysteries featuring a female at the center of the action (with both actresses giving showcase performances). […]
“Nerve” is based on a 2012 novel by Jeanne Ryan. And that makes perfect sense. There’s a heroine at the center of a Hunger Games-esque, high-tech reality game called Nerve, which is, essentially, an extreme version of Truth or Dare, with teen and 20-year-old contestants tackling various challenges in hopes of winning cash, gaining followers […]
Woody Allen’s five films prior to “Cafe Society” included a couple of Oscar winners (“Midnight in Paris”, “Blue Jasmine”), a guilty pleasure (“Irrational Man”), a mixed bag (“Magic in the Moonlight”) and a bit of a disaster (“To Rome with Love”). This latest all-star, romantic dramedy is the first Allen movie distributed by Lionsgate and […]
I am approaching the end of my 10th year as a film critic. The goal here is to sum-up a decade of (as it’s stated on my website) movie news, reviews and views. I could go through lots of movie industry statistics and break down the quality of films by genre, but that would be […]
2008’s Oscar-winning documentary “Man on Wire” beautifully showcased the incredible French artist Philippe Petit, who, in 1974, defined cultural American history by walking on a wire hung between the World Trade Center Twin Towers in New York City. The story itself is remarkable, and as the Hollywood version of Petit’s feat, “The Walk”, once again […]
Last Saturday night, I had the chance to cover the World Premiere of the action comedy “Pixels” at the Regal E-Walk theater in New York City. A huge Pac-Man balloon was hung from the top of the theater, only strong ropes prevented it from eating-up all the power pellets (and people) below on a packed […]