Monthly Archives: December 2017

No, the years of pent-up demand for another “Star Wars” film aren’t there. “The Force Awakens” and “Rogue One” have opened in the past two years. And this December weekend promises to be perhaps the second biggest opening weekend for … Continue reading →

In “Humor Me,” star Jemaine Clement plays a once-successful playwright whose inability to finish his latest play costs him his marriage and conceivably, his career. Nate is getting the “Don’t let yourself become irrelevant” lecture. Because he’s about to. Art … Continue reading →

Will “The Last Jedi” open over $200 million this weekend? It’s the last blockbuster of the year, but will it bust the block? Box Office Guru figures $212 million, maybe $700 million during its entire US run. Box  Office Mojo … Continue reading →

Oscar winners Bullock, Blanchett and Hathaway, with Rihanna, Mindy Kaling. Sarah Paulson, “Awkwafina” and…Helena Bonham Carter in the Elliott Gould role? As the cast list includes Olivia Munn, Jatie Holmes, Dakota Fanning, Hailey Baldwin, Kylie Jenner, James Corden and Kim Kardashian…well, … Continue reading →

The conversation among movie lovers and fellow critics (Sometimes those do overlap, ahem.) at this time of year turns towards “best lists” and “Who or what will be nominated for an Oscar?” And from there, the talk descends to that … Continue reading →

This won’t be adjudicated here, unless the screenwriters want to fess up in the comments. Or make a blanket denial. And it might not ever go before the Writers Guild of America or the courts. Even if it made that … Continue reading →

Guillermo del Toro’s “The Shape of Water” is a lovely but hard-edged romantic fantasy,  a thriller built on a sentimentalized science fiction fan’s memories of the Cold War, the Space Race and “The Creature from the Black Lagoon.” The director … Continue reading →

Natalie Portman, Jennifer Jason Leigh, “It” girl Tessa Thompson, Oscar Isaac and a mysterious alien “shimmer” that threatens humanity itself. It’s from the people who gave us “Ex Machina.” Smart sci-fi, got to love it. Feb. 23.

You always cut a little slack for trash cinema that knows it’s trash. So props to the folks who made the green screen monstrosity “Beyond Skyline,” a creature-feature sequel to the 2010 aliens-invade-LA thriller “Skyline.” Nobody involved took this fight … Continue reading →

Truth be told, Fox’s beautifully-animated and whimsical take on the tale of Ferdinand the Bull lost me for a bit. OK, for almost an hour. The new “Ferdinand” is still based on the classic Munro Leaf book, is still about … Continue reading →