Monthly Archives: August 2017

Steven Soderbergh makes his big screen “comeback” a caper comedy that characters within it dismiss as “Oceans 7-11.” He’s got his “Magic Mike” in the lead, with 2015’s hot ticket Adam Driver, an Elvis grand-daughter, a country singer, a James … Continue reading →

“A Taxi Driver” is a Korean epic, a tipping point in the history of South Korea. A little old-fashioned and a touch melodramatic, it’s still a compelling Korean “Year of Living Dangerously.” South Korean cinemas’ Everyman, Kang-ho Song  (“The Host,” “Thirst,” … Continue reading →

The Stephen King horror brand may be well established with a generation of filmmakers and especially Hollywood decision makers. But audiences? They’re living in the “Annabelle/Conjuring/Amityville/Insidious” universe. New Line’s inexpensive, everything-but-the-kitchen-sink is haunted (that’s the NEXT movie) “Annabelle: Creation” is … Continue reading →

Long after her death, decades removed from the days when she was a brand-name novelist, famed for dark, romantic thrillers, Daphne du Maurier remains a Hollywood favorite. “My Cousin Rachel” — remade and unleashed just this summer — delivered a … Continue reading →

    “The Glass Castle,” the film biography based on one-time gossip columnist Jeannette Walls’ memoir, is just dissonant enough to feel as if it’s from another era — an era when we knew “shame.” You know, back before we … Continue reading →

Robert Pattinson has his best role since he wiped off the “Twilight” glitter in as a stumbling, bumbling thief hurtling toward his fate in the ironically titled “Good Time.” It’s a story of two brothers — developmentally-disabled Nick, played as … Continue reading →

The violence in “Wind River” will take your breath away. As it should. We’ve become so inured to it — in the movies and on TV — that we forget the shock that accompanies it. We don’t know how loud … Continue reading →

The dire state of animation screenwriting, made plain by a summer of “Cars 3,” “Despicable Me 3” and worse (“The Emoji Movie”) is pounded into stone by “The Nut Job 2: Nutty By Nature.” Even the year’s funniest cartoons — … Continue reading →

“Dave Made a Maze” is the most jaw-droppingly original movie of 2017, a delirious and deliberate act of DIY whimsy in the Terry Gilliam style. It cannot possibly have been as cheap to make as it looks. The sets are … Continue reading →