Monthly Archives: February 2019

The lifelong horrors of childhood abuse hide in plain sight in “Beneath the Leaves,” a more tricky-than-interesting thriller that might outsmart itself if it was any smarter to begin with. It’s got kids who survive trauma and try to make … Continue reading →

In the larger scheme of things, the fact that a musical interrupted by tragedy came together for opening night isn’t the most important or telling story about the massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. But if … Continue reading →

Professional MMA fighter with biceps the size of Sequoias wakes up next to a dead woman, a “one night stand.” He’s black. She’s white. No, it doesn’t look good. Not to the cops, not to his “alibi” girlfriend, not to … Continue reading →

That would be this one. No, Mister Johnson, I am not a big fan of the Fast and Fatuous films. But a promising, two-fisted buddy action comedy? I could see that. Especially with these three and Idris as the self-described … Continue reading →

There’s a half-joking cliche about a phrase directors over-use on the sets of big screen comedies. “Again. But faster.” Comedy is about timing, and speed and pacing are a big part of that. And no comedy about running, even if … Continue reading →

The difference between “The Lego Movie” and “The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part” is the distance between “love” and “like.” Because although it has a delightful DIY feel, more of “This is how kids with imagination PLAY with Legos,” … Continue reading →

She’s always been more than a supernaturally (or made in a computer — “Tron”) pretty face. Here’s Olivia Wilde all foaming at the mouth fierce, an abused woman avenging other abused women? “A Vigilante” gets a limited theatrical release and … Continue reading →

The Oslo bands were called Mayhem and Burzum. And to say they got a little too INTO the whole dark/Goth/Death Metal ethos is an understatement. Here’s an outline of the “true” story. The film version of “Lords of Chaos?” It … Continue reading →

The payoff comes midway through “Destroyer,” the big moment when all the street cred that Nicole Kidman has been building up with her worn, raw, nose-busted appearance in scene after scene. She’s a deep undercover cop ready to storm into … Continue reading →

The re-adjustment to life after combat is rarely an easy one. Whatever else the end of the daily peril many face brings with it can be accompanied by a loss of excitement and sense of purpose, a craving for camaraderie. … Continue reading →