Monthly Archives: January 2019

On first glance, Michael Franti seems so relentless upbeat he might make your teeth hurt. But he’s no Pollyanna. The singer-songwriter, with a battered guitar — Mama Brown — that Willie Nelson would admire, is an activist whose R & … Continue reading →

  The best action pic you’re going to see this January isn’t on the big screen. Well, depending on the size of your TV, it could be. It’s “Close,” a Netflix kidnapping thriller starring Noomi Rapace as an utter badass … Continue reading →

It’s true. And it makes sense. Because, you know, it wasn’t all that.  But go ahead, and give the Oscar to “Roma.” Which nobody will watch/remember either.  

A plane crash in the frozen north, an injured young woman in mortal peril, Mads Mikkelson is her lone hope in this Feb. 1. release. I love films like this, one of my favorite genres. And as I’ve lived in … Continue reading →

It’s unclear how much forethought M. Night Shyamalan gave to tying his “Unbreakable” anti-heroes to the multi-personality psychopath of “Split.” And asking him is pointless, because filmmakers lie. But the upshot of “Glass” is that parking James McAvoy‘s “Horde” of … Continue reading →

This is the international trailer to Tom Holland’s latest turn as “Your friendly neighbhood Spider-Man.” A villain returns, Mysterio (Jake Gyllenhaal) arrives, with Zendaya, Marisa, Samuel L. Cobie and Favreau reprising their roles within “The Universe.” Director Jon Watts returns … Continue reading →

“An Acceptable Risk” is “Scandal” with less sex and fewer fireworks. Almost no fireworks, to be honest. It’s a somber, chatty political thriller about a guilt-ridden ex-National Security Advisor, her stalker and the government security apparatus she left behind, which … Continue reading →

The earliest reviews have not been kind. This tying together of “Unbreakable” and “Split” into a trilogy, with McAvoy, Willis and the Laurence Olivier of his Age, Samuel L. (As in, “Anything for a buck, at this stage.”) here to … Continue reading →

The answer to that headline? “Maybe.” Alfonso Cuaron (above) is the best director favorite. And as “Best directors direct best pictures,” that makes “Roma” the best picture favorite. But the Critics Choice Awards, handed out by the Broadcast Film Critics … Continue reading →

It’s not a backhanded compliment to say Zach McGowan of “Black Sails,” “The Walking Dead” and “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” is entirely too good-looking to play the boxer Chuck Wepner. He doesn’t look like a mug, no hint of the beaten … Continue reading →