Monthly Archives: October 2018

Production-designed to within an inch of its life, backed by the gorgeous music of Tchaikovsky and including a ballet, though not the famous one their “story” was inspired by, Disney’s “The Nutcracker and the Four Realms” offers up a heaping helping of … Continue reading →

It sounds like a movie pitch. Guy starts talking in his sleep, somniloquy, the phenomenon is called. He’s hoarsely whispering in a strange tongue. His significant other records him, and what he’s muttering sounds like something he heard on a little seen, … Continue reading →

“People’s Republic of Desire” is a cinema verite documentary about online streaming stars in China, people who “perform” on demand and are rewarded directly by patrons — viewers with money. It’s narrow-cast capitalism at its most ruthless. “People’s Republic”“People’s Republic” … Continue reading →

The problems started pretty much the moment the Pell Grant, named for a U.S. Senator who wanted to move college aid from colleges which dispensed it to students, to the students themselves, was invented. The idea, as recounted in the … Continue reading →

Yeah, this one’s set in Norway, where they allegedly listen to scientists. Magnet has picked this one up for US distribution. No firm date for release  for “The Quake” that I can see, The reason it’s notable is its connection … Continue reading →

There’s an embargo on this film, a review that won’t see the light of day until All Hallow’s Eve. Disney landed Keira Knightley, and Keira 2.0, aka young Mackenzie Foy, along with Helen Mirren and Morgan Freeman. It opens Thursday … Continue reading →

  Long before the Coen Brothers saddled up with “True Grit,” they showed a penchant for florid, archaic English, the speech of the characters of Western writer Charles Portis.  Think of “Raising Arizona” — “Edwina’s insides were a rocky place … Continue reading →

The casual fan probably doesn’t notice that roughly the output of the Joel and Ethan Coen Filmworks ltd. is either a misfire or utterly unwatchable. Great films, Oscar winners, mixed in with “A Serious Man” and “Hudsucker Proxy” and “Burn … Continue reading →

It’s a January release, so expectations are low. The money in this trailer seems to have gone for music clearances and a digital mountain lion. Bryce Dallas Howard voices Bella, the lost dog, with Ashley Judd, Wes Studi and Edward … Continue reading →

To Nic Cage fans — and we know who we are even if we’re proud of it — every movie is worth a “Nic Cage is BACK” headline. You know, like 50 years of Rolling Stone/Dylan covers. Like a lot … Continue reading →