Monthly Archives: August 2016

It has an A-list cast of hot actors, an Oscar winner and a couple of Aussie acting icons. It’s an evocative period piece based on a best-selling novel, an era and an exotic setting beautifully captured and lavishly photographed. But … Continue reading →

What the hell do we do with Jason Statham these days? Aside from putting him around water and making him strip off his shirt a few times, in between head-busting brawls and the like? He shows up for “Mechanic: Resurrection,” … Continue reading →

The faith-based football bio-drama “Greater” fails on so many levels one scarcely knows where to begin. It’s an uninspiring “inspiring true story,” an emotionally barren trial of faith, a dry-eyed weeper in which we know the hero is living on … Continue reading →

They’ve been a familiar sight on the streets of New York, increasingly familiar in hard times, rarer when restaurants, factories and other employers are hiring. “Canners” collect cans and bottles for New York State’s five cent redemption fee, piecing together … Continue reading →

That bust of a summer comic book blockbuster “Suicide Squad” clung to the top spot at the box office like grim death for much of August. Bad reviews, plummeting ticket sales notwithstanding, there was nothing that could knock it off. … Continue reading →

“The Fundamentals of Caring” is a PG or PG-13 dramedy straining to earn an R. Lightweight, with heavy underpinnings, it wins a laugh here and there and occasionally rises to “cute.” But if you want an example of a script whose … Continue reading →

This wasn’t a cinematic summer for the record books, or the memory banks. Desultory sequels (“Bourne”, “Independence Day”), raunchy comedies that didn’t quite get there (“Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates”) and their ilk dominated the season, in terms of … Continue reading →

The Obamas’ First Date, aka “Southside With You,” is earning the best reviews of this, the final weekend in August. A sweet, smart and talky long afternoon turning to dreamy Chicago night, it’s a first-date romance the way Hollywood used … Continue reading →

“Sevendayssevendayssevendays.” It’s still about a video, a girl in a well, and J-horror hairstyles. And people dying after watching that video and allowing that hairstyle in the door. Through their TV. Thought they might update “The Ring” to something more … Continue reading →