Monthly Archives: June 2019

  “Papi Chulo” doesn’t start with much promise. The idea of a wealthy gay Angelino bonding with a Latino laborer he hires to do some painting for him feels cloying, and the situations that spin out of that are generally … Continue reading →

Sci fi from the director of “The Lost City of Z,” due out Sept. 20. It’s a pre Disney purchase Fox film, so the there’s that working against it. The Mouse makes dogs, too. Not like Fox has. We are … Continue reading →

“The Secret Life of Pets 2” offers up more giddy giggles for the little kiddies, a dog-wise/cat-savvy comedy that aims squarely at the youngest common denominator — and scores. Parents? Maybe you’ll laugh at the grumpy, seen-it-all shepherd voiced by … Continue reading →

Jean Grey is in the car with her parents. It’s 1975, a screen title tells us. She’s telepathically bickering over what plays on the car radio. Glen Campbell, or this other song. Because Jean, even at that tender age, can … Continue reading →

Scorsese is Bob Dylan’s definitive screen biographer. Remember his 2005 “No Direction Home” PBS “American Masters” on the man/the legend? The only epic tours worth remembering were “disasters,” ruinously expensive, epic in intent, unforgettable to those who saw them. Prince’s … Continue reading →

So much offscreen baggage hangs over “Dark Phoenix” that it’s hard to address the movie on its own what’s-on-the-screen terms. It’s a winding up of the “X Men: First Class” saga, the prequels that brought James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Alexandra … Continue reading →

This one didn’t involve Daniel Craig, but did include an explosion, a crew member injured and damage to a Pinewood Studios soundstage. https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/bond-25-accident-leaves-crew-member-injured-pinewood-stage-damaged-1215578

It’s like that girlfriend or boyfriend who is too cute, too bubbly, and tries WAY too hard too much of the time. Adorable? Sure. A real net asset in your life, with more than a few fringe benefits. Maybe more … Continue reading →

“The Highwaymen” is a sturdy, slow and stately Western about the hunt for Bonnie & Clyde and the two retired, out-of-date Texas Rangers who birddogged them through the Dust Bowl. It’s a picture that comes down squarely on the law’s … Continue reading →

These are Governor’s Awards for creating bodies of work. The great Native American actor Wes Studi stands out for me. An iconic character actor and sometime leading man. Lynch and Wertmuller are distinct directing talents whose careers wound down in … Continue reading →