Monthly Archives: January 2018

Long before “Portlandia,” Gus Van Sant was the chronicler of quirky Hipsville’s underbelly, and his latest takes him back there for the true story of a quadreplegic/alcoholic cartoonist. Joaquin Phoenix plays John Callahan, drunk and trapped in a wheelchair, who … Continue reading →

The late character actor turned director Bill Paxton once shared his secret to landing any directing gig with me. “Tell ’em, ‘I can cut a HELLUVA trailer out of this!” That’s what “Proud Mary” is, a helluva trailer with Taraji … Continue reading →

Jason Momoa, for those who missed the memo, is the man. He made “Justice League” worth watching, all by his charismatic, beefy confidant self. He’s in “Frontier” on TV and has other projects lined up, based at least in part … Continue reading →

Of all the attributes to strive to give your comic film, “twee” is the hardest to pull off. It’s that delicate dose of daft — just shy of cloying  — that lets most efforts in this corner of the cinema … Continue reading →

An Autistic young “Star Trek” fanatic expands her horizons on her first-ever road trip on her own in “Please Stand By,” a picture whose picaresque premise holds more promise that its star or director deliver. The heroine of the piece … Continue reading →

I have been fretting that Fox is mishandling its potential Oscar contender, “The Post,” opening it wide well AFTER its peak hype (early last month). The Golden Globes and other awards nominations, where a very fine film is underperforming, seems … Continue reading →

It started with Ally Sheedy tweeting in protest about James Franco’s Golden Globes win for starring in “The Disaster Artist.” Then others came forward, alleging sexual harassment and coercion on film sets. And now the LA Times has chased down … Continue reading →

The first thing that hits you is the quiet. For all the movement, the rush from meeting to meeting, the urgency of the issues they seem to be dealing with, there’s no sign of discord, chaos or quarreling in this … Continue reading →

Andy Goldsworthy makes art where he finds it — in decaying forests, in snow-covered fields, on streets where he might lie down just as a light rain is beginning. His “ghost” is his dry body shape, which you see on … Continue reading →

On the one hand, you had me at “Fellini.” And then there’s sunny Italy, a boon to any film’s setting, especially an indie one. And Maria Bello, Earth Momma extraordinaire. On the other hand, it’s yet another coming-of-age romance, and … Continue reading →