Monthly Archives: October 2017

So Louis wants to do a Woody Allen homage, playing a movie director in a black and white comedy about a somewhat pretentious, arty movie director. Ick. So the guy’s got a nubile, bikini clad (often as not) teen daughter … Continue reading →

“Lifetime Original Movie” is glib, pejorative criticspeak that no movie with a female protagonist and women-centric subject matter wants as a label. And I might add, that no critic wants to use when the movie’s subject is rape and its … Continue reading →

Actor turned writer-director Jason Hall (he scripted “American Sniper”) returns to Iraq War veteran subject matter with “Thank You for Your Service,” an oddly unaffecting portrait of damaged soldiers trying to break back into civilian life. He goes for veracity … Continue reading →

The ever-so-English charms of “Goodbye, Christopher Robin” aren’t spoiled by its abrupt shifts in tone and occasional sentimental cheats. But those failings do tend to render this Simon Curtis film about the little boy and his toys who inspired “Winnie … Continue reading →

The conceit or gimmick behind “Loving Vincent,” a new Anglo-Polish film about the last days of Vincent Van Gogh, was to cast it and film it with live actors on real sets, and then paint-over those images in the Van … Continue reading →

With “Suburbicon,” George Clooney at long last achieves one of his bucket-list goals as director, making a satirical misfire every bit as tone-deaf as the worst works of his movie-making mentors, the Coen Brothers. It’s a darkly humorous murder farce set … Continue reading →

The “Thor” movies have always been the lightest, silliest installments in the Marvel money-minting machine. They’re more about the fun than the fights, and in “Thor: Ragnarok,” you know even the big fight — the God of Thunder vs. The … Continue reading →

There are advantages of access and deep knowledge of back-story in having an adoring nephew make a documentary about your life and work. And there are equally obvious disadvantages — over-familiarity that leads to crucial omissions of how one came … Continue reading →

The trailers for “Suburbicon” had a certain demonic promise to them. But everybody knew the “big” (ahem) movie this weekend would be the latest “Saw” reboot. And “Jigsaw,” whatever its merits, is proving that true, skipping away with $16 million … Continue reading →

The biggest laughs in the starved-for-laughs romantic comedy “The Truth About Lies” are ones the filmmakers, and the star, could not have anticipated when they filmed it. The comedy, about a loser who lies like he breathes, lies on the … Continue reading →