Monthly Archives: May 2018

Shelly and Lee were born in the same hospital at the same time, affluent, dance-crazy California cuties who share so much. No, not that. Shelly who prefers “Elle” (Joey King) lusts for Lee’s hunky, short-tempered jock older brother, Noah (Jacob … Continue reading →

The lurid Japanese underworld of tattooed gangsters is the setting of “Darc,” a culture-clash thriller of the “Black Rain” variety that could be a big — OK, modest — break for Tony Schiena of “Locked Down.” He co-scripted and stars … Continue reading →

Every so often, the Madonna of the Movies, Lars Von Trier, screeches for attention and we’re reminded that he’s still a thing, that there’s something still something rotten in the state of Denmark. OK, I oversell. Pardon. This sadistic serial … Continue reading →

What a clever idea for your no-budget (save for travel and stars) rom-com. Pair up Keanu and Winona and make them not like each other in their patented patois. This is pretty damned funny. Never heard of the studio, but … Continue reading →

“Book Club,” aka “Sisterhood of the Traveling Spanx,” stuffs the screen with Oscar and Emmy winning actresses of a certain age and hopes the laughs will follow. And they do, just often enough to make this genial, eye-roller of a … Continue reading →

“Racer and the Jailbird” is about a rich young Porsche driver and the bank robber she falls for. It’s a torrid love affair, all-consuming even though the rising-star racer suspects her man lies, and her man is getting too old … Continue reading →

“First Reformed” redeems the career of one of the cinema’s great writer-directors, rescuing Paul Schrader from the wilderness of Nicolas Cage B-thrillers and the hell of begging Lindsay Lohan to show up in “The Canyons.” It’s a powerful, disturbing crisis … Continue reading →

  Aaron Baker was a California Motocross racer who suffered a paralyzing spinal cord injury at 20. His doctors gave him “a one in a million chance of ever even feeding myself” again. When he and his mother, Laquito Dian, … Continue reading →

Love that Jean Reno, fascinating fellow who tipped me to all the apps he uses to track down fine food — he is French, after all — during an interview once. Here, he’s the old man of the mountains in … Continue reading →

Yeah, Jordan Peele had to vouch for Spike and produce it. And it’s opening in the movie-going dog days of August. But this “true story” about infiltrating the David Duke (Topher Grace!) KKK of the ’70s by posing as Aryan … Continue reading →