Monthly Archives: June 2016

Steven Spielberg reunites with his “E.T.” screenwriter to adapt Roald Dahl’s “The BFG,” which stands for “Big, Friendly Giant.” He cast his “Bridge of Spies” Oscar winner, Mark Rylance, in the title role, and showcases the current state-of-the-motion-capture-animation art in … Continue reading →

A weak Thursday night, strong Friday left prognosticators thinking “Independence Day: Resurgence” might hit $45 million this weekend. No. Bad reviews and a general audience ennui about what was never more than dumb fun — dumb even by 1996 standards … Continue reading →

I’ve been a fan of the tall, imposing Irish actor Ciarán Hinds at least since “Persuasion,”perhaps my favorite Jane Austen adaptation. His quiet, vulnerable and austere turn in that one – he’s a soldier in love with the heroine, but … Continue reading →

They waited twenty years to make it, there is no Will Smith, but “Independence Day: Resurgence” didn’t come out of the gate a total bust. The lack of early warning reviews (Fox didn’t preview this POS because they knew what … Continue reading →

“Independence Day: Resurgence” is all big effects, big explosions, epic battles rendered in state-of-the-art digital strokes.  But really bad writing, achingly bad acting, groaning scenes and a serious lack of suspense and surprise all add up to zero fun, this … Continue reading →

A sentimental documentary about a race horse and the little town that bred and raced him, “Dark Horse” is a feel-good movie that sneaks up on you, even if you know what’s coming. Because it’s not just about a moody, … Continue reading →

You’d think that the vital but thankless and tedious process of editing a book wouldn’t make much of a movie. And you’d be right. “Genius,” about the greatest editor of them all, Maxwell Perkins, is all dimly-lit offices, train rides … Continue reading →

The road to the “Free State of Jones” is paved with good intentions. Ambitious, with a vivid turn by Matthew McConaughey in the lead role, its also timely, a story worth telling and remembering. But the film woven out of … Continue reading →

Blake Lively, a swimsuit and a shark — that’s all the titillation and terror most of us will ever want. “The Shallows” turns out to be just what the summer cinema needed, a little reminder to be afraid to go … Continue reading →

An important, hot-button topic gets an amusing, convincing if cursory treatment in “Can We Take a Joke?”, a documentary about the war on free speech in America. It’s not a film about government censorship or old-school State Sponsored Religion restrictions … Continue reading →