Yearly Archives: 2016

He’s well turned-out and driving a Mercedes. But you know the minute the black gloves come out that he’s up to no good. In the movies, guys who wear black gloves are hit-men or burglars, to a one. Besides, he’s … Continue reading →

The thing about bad movies is how rarely they stick with you, how utterly forgettable they are. Anybody remember “Clown Town,” “Max Steel,” “Incarnate,” or the last ever “Divergent” theatrical film? Me either. “Run the Tide?” Yeah, that one starred … Continue reading →

There is novelty in the idea of Oscar winner Reese Witherspoon as a sow singing Taylor Swift’s “Shake it Off” or “Fireworks,” by Swift’s arch enemy, Katy Perry. That Reese, a real peace maker. And her fellow Oscar winner, Matthew … Continue reading →

Here’s a documentary about unflappable, relentlessly optimistic educators and “The Bad Kids” they’re guiding — or dragging, kicking and sleeping (in class)– towards a high school diploma. Black Rock High School is in scenic but remote and limited Joshua Tree, … Continue reading →

Absolutely awful news ends a year full of that, a year stalked by the specter of death. Carrie Fisher has succumbed to illness and a body ravaged by a lifetime of hard living. She was just 60.  She was never … Continue reading →

So I waited around to binge-watch the entire “first series” of “The Grand Tour,” biding my Amazon Prime time, wanting to see the whole thing in one sitting. As a long-time “Top Gear” fan, owner of many a boxed set … Continue reading →

A Great American Play becomes a Great American Film with “Fences,” Denzel Washington’s letter-faithful adaptation of August Wilson’s Pulitzer Prize winning masterpiece. Set in Wilson’s beloved Pittsburgh in the late 1950s, it’s about the African American diaspora, sons and daughters of … Continue reading →

If you didn’t love “The Fantastic Mr. Fox” as much as any eight year old, you plainly have lost the inner child Wes Anderson has made his living off of his entire career. So it’s great news that Anderson is … Continue reading →

Video game movie adaptations aren’t really my thing, and for decades, they haven’t proven to be Hollywood’s thing either. But throwing a couple of Oscar winners, along with Michael Fassbender and $130 million at “Assassin’s Creed” could have changed that. … Continue reading →

“Passengers” offers up such a spotless, pristine vision of our space traveling future that you might be tempted to book a flight. A gigantic, roomy and shiny space liner takes a crew of 250 or so and 5,000 paying clients … Continue reading →