Monthly Archives: October 2016

“Ouija: Origin of Evil” makes you appreciate the fine art of cutting a movie trailer. You’ve got to show us enough to want to buy a ticket, but you don’t want to spoil all your surprises and effects. This is … Continue reading →

You have to appreciate the high-mindedness of “Priceless,” a faith-based drama in which a “transporter” makes it his business to free Mexican women he’s unknowingly delivered into the Southwestern U.S. sex trade. But other good intentions — director Ben Smallbone … Continue reading →

What’s memorable about “Autumn Lights,” an erotic thriller set in posh accommodations in rural Iceland? Well, the nude scene depicted above, for starters. A couple of others. Some explicit sex. It’s tempting to revive that long retired label “soft-core porn” … Continue reading →

Here’s what I’ve been saying since “The Town.” Warner Brothers recognized, in Ben Affleck, their replacement for Clint Eastwood. He’s become a reliable box office star in front of and behind the camera. They’ve shoved him into a Bat costume, … Continue reading →

“Idioten!” If the sad Swedish comedy “A Man Called Ove” accomplishes nothing else, at least it’s taught us the Swedish word for “idiot.” “Idioten!” The title character, a walking/grumping antidote to the world’s stereotype of happy, friendly Swedes, uses it … Continue reading →

Diversity is once again front and center in the next “Star Wars” movie. But judging from the second trailer, “Rogue One” boasts a better cast, some genuine moments of pathos and sacrifice, and director Gareth Edwards (“Godzilla”) seems to have … Continue reading →

Why is it that every movie Paul Schrader has ever made plays like an invitation to put him on the couch? A screenwriter (“Taxi Driver”) and director (“Light Sleeper”) whose violent, moralistic melodramas play like peep shows of his id, … Continue reading →

Good scripts don’t over-explain. They leave mysteries for us to speculate about, mull over, mysteries that draw us in. “Little Sister” is slight, unfussy character study with a hint of such mystery. It’s about a 21 year-old novice nun estranged … Continue reading →

For reasons I can’t even fathom, I have made it a point to review every Nicolas Cage movie — even the hardest to locate, grade Z junk that nobody gets to. Maybe it has something to do with what he … Continue reading →

Hollywood’s ongoing fascination with Asperger’s and other points on the autism spectrum gets filmdom into trouble with “The Accountant.” Spinning the outward awkwardness, difficulty connecting on a human level symptoms of the condition to create a bookkeeper with computer-worthy numbers … Continue reading →