Monthly Archives: April 2018

A spy who falls for a scientist, kidnapping in the desert and a mental escape into the deepest deep blue sea. Very Wim Wenders. “Submergence” finally gets a release next week. Limited.

American adolescence has been turned into a moving target by Hollywood in recent decades, thanks to the rise of the R-rated comedy about adults who’ve never grown up. Blame the Ap(atow) Pack, the “Hangover” binge-athons or that Judeo-Canadian vulgarian Seth … Continue reading →

Of all the lies the movies sell us over and over again, the myth of “total recall” — flashbacks, interrogations, reminiscences — may be the most pernicious. “Memory,” as the star of of “Memento,” Guy Pearce, says in “Spinning Man,” … Continue reading →

He’s a drop out who mastered the art of closing the sale, but who needs to start over in order to get a gig on Wall Street, where salesmen and women are masters of the universe. She’s a teacher collecting … Continue reading →

  It’s not over-selling the gritty Argentine crime drama “Beer, Pizza and Smokes” to suggest it has hints of Truffaut’s classic “The 400 Blows” about it. Or “Dead End Kids,” “Kids” or “Rebel Without a Cause.” There’s an underworld that … Continue reading →

“Una” lives in the house where she grew up, cares for her sickly mother and endures the lingering stares of the neighbors. By night she prowls nightclubs in search of brusque, anonymous sex with strangers. At dawn she comes home, … Continue reading →

“You should have finished the job” is the credo of many a “We thought we killed you” thriller.” Westerns like “Valdez is Coming” and “Hang’em High” honored this grim vengeance tradition. “Revenge” is about a fellow who takes a mistress … Continue reading →

The only thing that might have tamped down the take for Steven Spielberg’s latest is its lack of a brand name title. Not Marvel, not “Indiana Jones” (in his case). Otherwise, the impressive $53 million “Read Player One” pulled in … Continue reading →