Reviews

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 […]

It’s Gerard January. Three of the past four years have had a Gerard Butler action movie from Lionsgate kick off the year. I enjoyed 2023’s “Plane”, and last year’s “Den of Thieves 2: Pantera” had a solid second half. They both did well enough for LG to make Butler’s next flick, “Greenland 2: Migration”, the […]

Two-time Emmy-winner Claire Foy (“The Crown”) gave an excellent performance as Janet Armstrong, Neil Armstrong’s first wife, in Damien Chazelle’s 2018 drama “First Man”. Foy’s work earned her Golden Globe, Critics Choice and BAFTA nominations, and she should’ve been on the Oscar ballot as well. Roadside and Lionsgate just released Foy’s new film, “H Is […]

An original concept, especially for a light drama primarily aimed at older audiences? How refreshing. “The Choral” is about a choir in England in 1916 who rehearse for an important performance. Ralph Fiennes is terrific, in a wide-ranging, dynamic role as the new chorus master, Dr. Henry Guthrie. Though Fiennes is prominently featured on the […]

“Dead Man’s Wire” is “Good Will Hunting” and “Milk” director Gus Van Sant’s first feature film in more than seven years. He returns with a gritty, grounded and almost bare-bones thriller. The experience feels real — not heightened, flashy or Hollywood-y, because Van Sant takes a unique approach. “Dead Man’s Wire” is a combination of […]

“Little Amélie or the Character of Rain” is a sweet, hand-drawn French animated feature based on author Amélie Nothomb’s 2000 novel. The central perspective is that of a young Belgian girl, who was born in Japan in the late ‘60s, and is about to turn three years old. This is a life-changing time for Amélie, […]

Director Richard Linklater loves passion projects and collaborations with a real ‘actor’s actor’, Ethan Hawke. Their latest venture is a true gem. “Blue Moon” stars Hawke as lyricist Lorenz Hart. It’s 1943, and after watching the opening night performance of “Oklahoma!” in NYC, Hart heads to a nearby restaurant to share his thoughts on the […]

I’ve been waiting for Dwayne Johnson to star in a drama for a long time. He’s dabbled in it a bit, with scenes in films like “Skyscraper”, “Snitch” and “San Andreas”. But the majority of his career has either been headlining big action movies or family comedies (live-action and animated). So my expectations going into […]

Since her starring role in Disney and director Kenneth Branagh’s terrific 2015 live-action version of “Cinderella”, Lily James has continued to deliver fantastic performances — in “Darkest Hour”, “Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again” and as Pamela Anderson on the “Pam & Tommy” miniseries. She’s on her A-game again as Whitney Wolfe in the new […]

Spike Lee’s “Highest 2 Lowest”, a new, modern day interpretation of Akira Kurosawa’s “High and Low”, is quite a ride! Denzel Washington is as good as ever, delivering an electric, knockout performance in his fifth collaboration with Lee (and first since 2006’s “Inside Man”). Washington is the reason to watch “H2L”, which is now streaming […]