Yearly Archives: 2018

“Vengeance is mine,” sayeth the Lord. But not in the movies. Revenge thrillers in their many forms are among the most reliable film genres, reaching for visceral reactions. Wanting to get even is in our nature, and the movies know … Continue reading →

In retrospect, Clint “One Take” Eastwood was probably the wrong guy to direct a movie in which he cast three non-actors to play the lead roles, and three underwhelming little boys to play the leads as children. And it’s no … Continue reading →

Draw we now the curtain upon the insipid, kinky romance novel blockbusters of “Fifty Shades of Grey.”  No more breathless lip-bites of orgasmic shock from the mousy-voiced beauty Dakota Johnson, as the improbably-named Anastasia Steel. No more hunky Jamie Dornan … Continue reading →

So here’s what we know about this one. Clint Eastwood, who had basically retired, finds a third act in his directing life with heartland America military true stories. After “American Sniper,” he casts the real American heroes who stopped a … Continue reading →

At least, that’s what this trailer suggests. A Summer “Die Hard” knockoff. With kids. And a hero with an artificial leg.

Major style points to the makers of “Dear Dictator” for finding, sixty-plus years and 150 or so credits into his career, something truly different for Sir Michael Caine to play. A Castro-like Caribbean communist dictator? No, he doesn’t do a … Continue reading →

These back-engineered “Star Wars” movies seem to have more promise than whatever direction Disney is taking the main post-Skywalker storyline. To me, at least. Back engineering Harrison Ford? Trickier. “Solo: A Star Wars Story” has an interesting cast, familiar action … Continue reading →

More dinosaurs, the hint of “science” creating a “new” species, even deadlier, more Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard, more young folks in peril. And Toby Jones. But no…Jeff…Goldblum.  

No, Tom Cruise is not getting “too old for this s—.” Alec Baldwin, Angela Bassett, Ving, Simon…yeah. Henry Cavill as a villain? I buy it.

When “Ishtar,” one of the most expensive comedies ever made and a flop, to boot, came out, Dustin Hoffman defended it by saying this. “A baby doesn’t know how rich his parents are!” How much a movie cost can hinder … Continue reading →