Monthly Archives: May 2017

In her origin story, a world at war throws bullets, bombs, poison gas and tanks (literally throws) at Wonder Woman. There’s hatred and slaughter enough to shock anyone. And yet, she persists. “The future is female,” the pundits keep telling us. … Continue reading →

Finding something appropriate for international acting treasure Judi Dench, all but retired, with failing eyesight, cannot be easy. It’s got to be a role with stature and gravitas, a role worthy of her. No more “Best Exotic Marigold Hotels,” oh … Continue reading →

Actress (“Arranged,” TV’s “New Girl”) turned actress-writer Zoe Lister-Jones becomes an actress-writer/director with “Band Aid,” a frothy romantic comedy about marriage and miscarriage. Yeah, it’s dark. It starts sarcastic, bends towards sardonic and ends up downright deep in its observations … Continue reading →

When it comes to making a vampire movie that will stand out from the crowd, these days, the bar’s been set pretty high. Some of us–MOST of us — have seemingly seen it all. What’s new under the sun, which … Continue reading →

You read it here, first. There will NOT be another “Pirates of the Caribbean” movie. There’s a project listed on IMdb, supposedly Johnny Depp is on board. But “Dead Men Tell No Tales” should be the finish line or the … Continue reading →

A cursory search for details on the “St. Andrews Agreement” doesn’t tell you much about the behind-the-scenes shenanigans of that 2006 finale to the Northern Ireland peace process. And British newspapers have taken issue with the dark yet sometimes whimsical … Continue reading →

We don’t know what radicalized “The Student.” But something set him off. And the school and society that surround him must cope. He has taken to wearing black, and not bathing. He has his holy texts with him, always. He’s … Continue reading →

Genre films are movie comfort food. You don’t watch them expecting huge surprises. But the good ones are satisfying in the ways they do so much of the work for you. There have been scads of “kidnapped kid/person protected by … Continue reading →

If ever you’ve ever had a soft spot for those scalawags, the “Pirates of the Caribbean,” and that dopey/daffy/rum-drunk Captain Jack Sparrow, then “Dead Men Tell No Tales,” the latest and perhaps last film of the franchise, is for you. It’s … Continue reading →

Young ladies, what did your mother warn you about foreign travel? Sure, it starts with seeing the sights, taking the photos, flirting with the nice foreign fellow. That’s followed by the make-out sessions in the clubs, the sex in the … Continue reading →