Monthly Archives: June 2017

Pixar may see “Cars” as its most sentimental franchise, one cooked up by founder John Lasseter as a way of getting computer-animated images of roadside America, memories of road trips and auto racing onto the screen. I see it as … Continue reading →

“All Eyez on Me” is a too-tidy/too-pat musical biopic that sheds light on the messy, provocative and watershed life that was Tupac Shakur, rapper, rebel and would-be revolutionary. Overlong, more solid than inspiring, it makes a good go of illustrating … Continue reading →

The difference between “biography” and “hagiography” is the presentation of contrary views, critical voices that the biographer or bio/filmmaker takes seriously. That goes for anybody you’re profiling, from political opportunist Sarah Palin to hair care product purveyor Jean Paul DeJoria, … Continue reading →

The only way to appreciate “The Book of Henry” is by treating it as the movie equivalent of a summer read, a beach book that tries to pack in the full breadth of human experience into a few too many … Continue reading →

Awww, SOMEbody’s got a girl crush. Well, it’s on “Saturday Night Live” MVP Kate McKinnon, so I certainly get it. Every time McKinnon takes a breath and launches into a “bit” in the “Bridesmaids with a Dead Body” comedy “Rough … Continue reading →

The movie I’m most looking forward to this summer, as I’ve written on several occasions, is Christopher Nolan’s “Dunkirk,” an epic of survival during the darkest moments of World War II. But that’s just me. As this movie has no … Continue reading →

Two movies I’m looking forward to this summer, and not just because of their killer trailers — I’m a history buff — “Dunkirk” and “Detroit.” A WWII epic about a Britain that never tires of hearing about it’s “finest hour.” … Continue reading →

Have you seen the comically horrific “Alien Raiders” — you know, the one about a motley collection of folks trapped in a supermarket when the Aliens Attack? You should. How about “Killers” (Ashton K. and Katherine Heigl) or “The Air … Continue reading →

A great wrong — Ok, a minor wrong — is righted with the belated theatrical release of “47 Meters Down,” a trapped-in-a-shark-cage thriller whose production values suggest it deserves better than a direct-to-video fate. The film’s star, Mandy Moore, has … Continue reading →

Brett Haley has described “The Hero” as “a love letter” not only to Sam Elliott, but to a particular breed of Hollywood icon. Elliott plays an aging Western hero, getting by on voice-over work in commercials, facing mortality and hoping for … Continue reading →