Yearly Archives: 2018

Tonight’s Screening, “Chasing the Blues,” about record-collecting, prison, and the long-awaited Jon Lovitz comeback

The trailer has hints of “Crossroads,” that Ralph Macchio/Walter Hill classic about looking for a lost Robert Johnson blue classic. This is about that preoccupation of hedonistic hipsters, vinyl collecting. And it looks cute. Opens in Oct.

Posted in Reviews, previews, profiles and movie news | Comments Off on Tonight’s Screening, “Chasing the Blues,” about record-collecting, prison, and the long-awaited Jon Lovitz comeback

Preview, “Vita & Virginia” captures the upper class romance of Sackville-West and Woolf

Vita Sackville-West was upper class, pronounced “kloss,” to the core, a celebrated socialite and successful author. Virginia Woolf was a legend in the making, one of the great writers of the 20th century. Period piece. Torrid gay romance. “Vita & … Continue reading

Posted in Reviews, previews, profiles and movie news | Comments Off on Preview, “Vita & Virginia” captures the upper class romance of Sackville-West and Woolf

Documentary Review: Uncovering the life lived at “306 Hollywood” in Newark

The nature of memory, its organization and how we hang onto recollections of lost loved ones is what “306 Hollywood” is about. It’s an almost insufferably esoteric documentary made by two siblings, dissecting, digging and reconstructive the life of their … Continue reading

Posted in Reviews, previews, profiles and movie news | Comments Off on Documentary Review: Uncovering the life lived at “306 Hollywood” in Newark

Netflixable? “Take Me” puts Taylor Schilling in bondage…again

It’s no stretch to think of “Orange is the New Black” star Taylor Schilling as a kidnapping victim who has little trouble turning the tables on her captor. She plays native cunning well, and carries herself, even in a show … Continue reading

Posted in Reviews, previews, profiles and movie news | Comments Off on Netflixable? “Take Me” puts Taylor Schilling in bondage…again

Documentary Review: Joan Jett explains her “Bad Reputation”

Little Joan Marie Larkin saw the rock quartets on TV in the 60s and early 70s, and decided she just HAD to have a Sears Silvertone electric guitar for Christmas. “I can’t be the only girl who wants to do … Continue reading

Posted in Reviews, previews, profiles and movie news | Comments Off on Documentary Review: Joan Jett explains her “Bad Reputation”

Movie Review: Ignorance is blizzard in “Smallfoot,” a musical, “teachable moment” animated delight

It’s hard not to oversell “Smallfoot,” the new bigfoot musical from Warners Animation. Because words like “joyous” and “profound” (almost) leap to mind at several points in this Warners Smart/Pixar Heart comedy. Yeah, you’ve seen the trailers, maybe shrugged. Maybe … Continue reading

Posted in Reviews, previews, profiles and movie news | Comments Off on Movie Review: Ignorance is blizzard in “Smallfoot,” a musical, “teachable moment” animated delight

Movie Review: Girls get theirs in “Assassination Nation”

Equal parts “The Crucible,” “Kill Bill” and well, hell — “Carrie” — “Assassination Nation” is straight up action exploitation, a  scantily clad, sexed-up slut-shamed girls satire about scantily clad, sexed-up and slut-shamed girls who get even. Not until they first … Continue reading

Posted in Reviews, previews, profiles and movie news | Comments Off on Movie Review: Girls get theirs in “Assassination Nation”

HBO Review: “Jane Fonda in Five Acts”

HBO’s Jane Fonda documentary, “Jane Fonda in Five Acts,” doesn’t tread lightly on the controversy that still swirls around “Hanoi Jane.” It jumps right in, playing a tape from the Nixon White House, with the disgraced president himself getting the … Continue reading

Posted in Reviews, previews, profiles and movie news | Comments Off on HBO Review: “Jane Fonda in Five Acts”

Netflixable? “The Keeping Hours”

You see as many horror movies as I do, you start to obsess on the one or two things the ones that work get right. A pet peeve? Actors who, because they’re not good at interacting with effects or can’t … Continue reading

Posted in Reviews, previews, profiles and movie news | Comments Off on Netflixable? “The Keeping Hours”

Netflixable? “Nappily Ever After” is all about the hair

The buzz around the Netflix comedy “Nappily Ever After” swirls around Sanaa Lathan shaving her head on camera. As it should be. As an Atlanta ad exec, beauty accounts queen and physical appearance perfectionist, her drunken, broken-hearted tantrum with hair … Continue reading

Posted in Reviews, previews, profiles and movie news | Comments Off on Netflixable? “Nappily Ever After” is all about the hair