Yearly Archives: 2016

Society may, any day now, lose its grasp of the lessons of The Holocaust as those who witnessed it pass from the scene. But those few survivors left continue their mission, to remind us, to pursue justice, to “never forget.” … Continue reading →

It sounded mad, right from the outset. British actor Tom Hiddleston, “Loki” from the “Thor” and “Avengers” movies, as that icon of country music, Hank Williams? Surely somebody had lost his or her ever-loving mind. But give it to Hiddleston, … Continue reading →

Ethan Hawke talked about his “Chet Baker” movie for so long it seemed he might age out of ever getting to play the troubled jazz giant on the screen. But “Boyhood” and the Oscar nomination that followed allowed Hawke and … Continue reading →

It’s the comic book universe’s great imponderable. In a world where Superman exists, what’s the point of any other superhero? The guy has godlike powers, the purity of a savior and perfect PR. That’s got to cause some resentment and … Continue reading →

  More than a dozen years after the indie film phenom and the far less successful TV series that it spawned, do those big fat Greeks of Nia Vardalos still deliver the laughs and the love when their excesses are … Continue reading →

Hey kids, we WANT to love Pee Wee’s new movie. Honest we do! Sure, he’s 63. And he’s 30 years removed from “Pee Wee’s Big Adventure.” And just as many years separated from Tim Burton, who made that film a … Continue reading →

One joke comedies rarely work, even when the one joke is “sex with a gymnast.” And even when that one joke, a pommel horse punchline long before “Seinfeld” rendered it the object of every man’s fantasy, is delivered by that … Continue reading →

Morgan Freeman and a lot of folks most of us won’t recognize star in this digitally-augmented remake of “A tale of the Christ,” “Ben-Hur.” Insane that Hollywood would remake it, but with CGI being what it is, you don’t have … Continue reading →

OK, it looks like “X-Men” for toddlers. But…Tim Burton! TIM BURTON! A couple of eye-popping bits to feast on, for sure.

“The Brothers Grimsby” is 83 minutes of excruciating, nauseating, boundary-pushing “comedy” that never for a second feels like it’s anything but visual evidence of the end of Sacha Baron Cohen’s comic leading-man career. And in a lame buddy picture, to … Continue reading →