Reviews

“The Rivals of Amziah King” is the second feature from director Andrew Patterson — the follow-up to his Independent Spirit Awards nominee “The Vast of Night” (2019 awards qualification; 2020 Prime Video release). Well, this was worth the six-year wait. It’s a heck of a directorial showcase for Patterson, who also wrote the screenplay. This […]

Four-time Oscar nominee Willem Dafoe’s presence always makes a movie a little more interesting, and he’s once again great in the new indie “Late Fame” from director Kent Jones (of the documentary “Hitchcock/Truffaut”) and writer Samy Burch (who was Oscar nominated for 2023’s “May December”). “Late Fame” is an updated adaptation of Arthur Schnitzler’s 1895 novella. […]

“The Dink” is a comedy about Pickleball. But it’s just as much about tennis — a sport I’ve played for about 20 years. Some tennis films have worked, like “Battle of the Sexes” and “King Richard”, and others used too much slow-motion… (ahem… “Challengers”…). “The Dink” gets my tennis movie seal of approval because it […]

Sometimes I going into a movie knowing very little. In the case of sci-fi film “Lars Shrike Walks the Night”, it was just the title, the genre and the star — six-time Emmy winner Kelsey Grammer. He’s a television and voice acting legend, who has also delivered some terrific, memorable performances in movies. As “Lars […]

“Minions & Monsters” is the seventh installment in the “Despicable Me” franchise that kicked-off with a heartwarming and highly entertaining 2010 picture that put Illumination on the map and showcased the instant charm of the Minions. They are hilarious and beloved — appealing to people of all ages. Everywhere you go — every store… every […]

I enjoyed the first two “Enola Holmes” films, largely thanks to Millie Bobby Brown, who’s terrific in the title role of Sherlock’s younger, detective sister. She pulls-off the “breaking the fourth wall” commentary with ease. The first “EH” (released in 2020) was fun. The 2022 sequel was a little more sophisticated and had some legitimate […]

Three years after “Sound of Freedom” became one of the biggest box office blockbuster surprises of the past decade — and put Angel Studios on the map — comes another July 4th release from a distributor looking to disrupt to the Hollywood system. “Young Washington” arrives for America 250. It’s the story of a young […]

“Toy Story 3” (2010) and “Toy Story 4” (2019) both felt like franchise conclusions. As it turned out, neither ended Pixar’s beloved saga, because “Toy Story 5” has arrived. It’s the most serious installment yet in the three-decade franchise (which, besides the five features, includes two well-received holiday specials and several fun shorts). This is […]

Comedian Nate Bargatze’s stand-up focuses on the joys and chaos of family life. And that’s exactly what we get in his first feature film “The Breadwinner”. Bargatze (who recently hosted the entertaining ABC game show “The Greatest Average American”) plays Nate, a dad of three girls, husband to wife Katie (Mandy Moore) and the longtime […]

I root for original films, especially ones with a unique premise. “Tuner” had the potential to kick off the summer movie season on a high note. The set-up is interesting: Leo Woodall (excellent in last year’s “Nuremberg”) plays Niki, a piano tuner with a hearing condition that forces him to wear earplugs all the time. […]

Spanish animation filmmaker Alberto Vazquez earned rave reviews for features “Birdboy: The Forgotten Children” and “Unicorn Wars”. Let me add to the praise, because his latest film, “Decorado”, is the best movie of 2026 so far. Mice husband and wife Arnold and Maria live in the community of ALMA. They’re struggling, financially and emotionally, and […]

Director Antoine Fuqua’s “Michael” chronicles the rise of The King of Pop, Michael Jackson. The opening act is the finest of the entire movie, with Juliano Valdi delivering a fantastic performance as a young MJ. There’s a standout section with him meeting and having conversations with the legendary Berry Gordy (played by Larenz Tate). Colman […]

“Outcome”, from director and co-star Jonah Hill, opens with a six-year-old boy named Reef Hawk who goes on “The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson” and does a performance. We flash forward many years later and he’s an adult (played by Keanu Reeves) — a two-time Oscar winner who has starred in three of the biggest […]

Academy Award winner Sofia Coppola (“Lost in Translation”) has directed her first documentary feature. “Marc by Sofia” is a solid look into the life and career of fashion designer, and Coppola’s longtime friend, Marc Jacobs. Coppola interviewed Jacobs on a few occasions in the 12 weeks leading up to his 2024 runway show. There’s a […]

In the new ‘inspired by a true story’ drama “Tow”, Rose Byrne gives a stronger performance than her recent, Oscar nominated work in “If I Had Legs I’d Kick You”. Amanda Ogle is a Seattle woman whose car was stolen and then impounded. She can’t afford to pay the fee to get her 1991 Toyota […]

Like “Downton Abbey”, I didn’t watch a single episode of British crime drama “Peaky Blinders” (which ran from 2013 to 2022), but I was aware of its popularity. Just as I did with the “DA” film trilogy, I was willing to take a chance on the new movie that continues the “Peaky Blinders” saga to […]

Andrew Stanton won Best Animated Feature Oscars for Pixar’s “Finding Nemo” and “WALL-E”. He then shifted to live-action as director of Disney’s action/adventure “John Carter”, which didn’t live up to The Mouse House’s critical and box office expectations. Stanton returned to animation with 2016 blockbuster “Finding Dory” and is also helming the highly-anticipated “Toy Story […]

15 years ago Gore Verbinski won the Best Animated Feature Academy Award for “Rango”. Verbinski is also well known for the first three “Pirates of the Caribbean” installments and horror flick “The Ring”. During his video introduction at the screening I attended of his latest film, “Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die”, he stressed the […]

“The Fifth Element” director Luc Besson presents his artistic spin on “Dracula”, and for the most part, it’s pretty engaging. Certainly much more successful than Guillermo del Toro’s recent, bland take on “Frankenstein”, which is up for nine Oscars. I actually think “Dracula” could be in the Academy Awards Makeup & Hairstyling, Costume Design and […]

When I was at NYCC in October, I went to the panel for “Mercy”, an Amazon-MGM Studios action / thriller from director Timur Bekmambetov (“Wanted”) and star Chris Pratt, both of whom were in attendance. They debuted the first trailer and shared insights on the film, pushing the concept pretty hard to the crowd. And […]