Monthly Archives: December 2017

Beware of the actor, preacher or politician a little too in love with the sound of her or his own voice. And be leery of a writer enamored with the clatter of his own keyboard. Aaron Sorkin made his reputation … Continue reading →

Wow. This is what comic purgatory looks like. Actors, trapped in a laugh-free road comedy called “Father Figures” — a paying (gullible) audience, slack-jawed in dismay, trapped there with them for two hours. It co-stars Owen Wilson, with the fresh … Continue reading →

Well shucks, before this past weekend, I’d not given a thought that might be a sequel even in the works for the all-star, Greek location-filmed adaptation of that big, cheesy ABBA musical, “Mamma Mia.” But you know, they barely cracked … Continue reading →

What everybody wants to know about “All the Money in the World” is if Christopher Plummer, plugged into the “villain” role when disgraced star Kevin Spacey was edited out, pulls it off. Of course he does, with venomous, flinty flair. … Continue reading →

Welcome to “The Breakfast Club” goes “Big,” and gets trapped in Oz, also known as “Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle.” It’s a long, violent and jokey reboot of “Jumanji” re-set as a body-switch comedy, with teenagers stuck in a video … Continue reading →

When you think of the word “Gringo,” the first actor to come to mind won’t be the African actor David Oleyowo. I guarantee that. But he’s the hapless representative sent to Mexico with the formula for a new “Medical Marijuana … Continue reading →

As I was one of the first to pan the latest “Star Wars” film in the J.J. Abrams’ universe, “The Last Jedi,” comments on my review have revealed what seems to be a healthy level of discontent on this (thanks … Continue reading →

The German sculptor, conceptual artist and performance artist Joseph Beuys once secured Japanese funding and legions of volunteers to help him plant “7000 Oaks,” each with a rough-hewn basalt obelisk at its base, in Kassel, Germany. He wanted to contrast … Continue reading →

You think about Alexander Payne’s other films, comic satires, a lot during “Downsizing.” You remember the political parody “Election,” the hot-button abortion comedy “Citizen Ruth,” the wine snob pretensions of “Sideways” and the pleasures of “The Descendants,” “Nebraska” and “About … Continue reading →

We used to call them “triple threats,” these wonders who walked among us. They could sing, dance and act, and do each equally well. Gene and Debbie are gone, Shirley and Rita pretty much done with hoofing it. But Hugh … Continue reading →