Monthly Archives: September 2018

Preview, Marvel tears off a little Female Empowerment with “Captain Marvel” — official trailer

Brie Larson has the title role, one small step for Marvel to get some of that “Wonder Woman” buzz, crossover appeal, etc. etc. “Captain Marvel” is a March release, opening in that “Black Panther” (broadly speaking) window. Directors of modest … Continue reading

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Documentary Review: Re-examining disability through the lens of “Intelligent Lives”

One of the great sea changes in American culture over the past 60 years has been in attitudes toward and treatment of the mentally disabled. From the gradual abandonment of “labeling” via outmoded IQ tests and “warehousing” people we used … Continue reading

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Preview, Disney gives us another peek at “Mary Poppins Returns”

Even those of us who adore Emily Blunt would be ever-so-quick to say that she’s no Julie Andrews. And Dick Van Dyke is every bit as irreplaceable. He’s here, just not in the same guise. But damned if Angela Lansbury … Continue reading

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Netflixable? Prepare to be blindsided by “Face 2 Face”

Boy, talk about a light, dullish teen dramedy that turns icky on a dime. “Face 2 Face” is one of the most striking miscalculations in movie tone in recent memory. From light, right on the cusp of sweet, to just … Continue reading

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Netflixable? “On My Skin: The Last Seven Days of Stefano Cucchi”

Franz Kafka was born in Prague and died in a sanitarium outside of Vienna. But his Kafkaesque nightmare of maddening bureaucracy run by heartless, buck-passing functionaries lives on just to the south, in the courts, hospitals and government offices of … Continue reading

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Netflixable? “My Teacher, My Obsession,” oh my

It’s not a new movie trope, but seriously — how do you make “Hot for teacher” an acceptable subject for a movie nowadays? “My Teacher, My Obsession” whistles past the #Notlegal graveyard with horror.  Well, with a stalker/thriller, anyway. That’s what … Continue reading

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Preview, Bodybuilding’s Golden Age is revisited for “Bigger: The Joe Weider Story”

The guys who gave us Schwarzenegger turn up in this film about the weightlifter/bodybuilder Joe Weider, whose ads graced the inside back covers of many a classic comic book, back in the day. Julianne Hough, Tyler Hoechlin, Steve Guttenberg  Robert Forster, DJ … Continue reading

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Weekend Box Office: EVERYbody underwhelms; “Predator,” “Favor,” “White Boy” and “Unbroken” founder

Might’ve had a little to do with Hurricane Florence worrying film fans from Va to Ga. Maybe not. But the projected $29 million opening for “The Predator” reboot at the hands of Shane Black was a $24 million bust. “A … Continue reading

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Preview, “The Beach Bum” gives us Matthew McConaughey in Full Jimmy Buffett Mode

Jimmy Buffet as viewed through the Harmony Korine dark side of drunken beach poet as a lifestyle, that is. Yes, the director of “Spring Breakers,” who let us know that hell yeah, he “gets” Florida, is back with a dark … Continue reading

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Netflixable? A daughter celebrates her legendary Dad in “Quincy”

If you want a thorough documentary accounting of your legendary life in music, leave the job to your adoring daughter. Rashida Jones of “Tag” and TV’s “Angie Tribeca,” didn’t have to arrange interviews for “Quincy,” the film she co-directed about … Continue reading

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