Monthly Archives: August 2019

Two basic concepts separate the cinema from the theatrical stage. In movies, filmed video storytelling, the filmmaker decides where the viewer’s focus MUST be. In theater, the viewer gets to make that choice. This actor, or that one, or that … Continue reading →

The cinematic equivalent of Monty Python’s “The Cheese Shop” sketch, “Dragon Kingdom” proves that the Jolly Oldies never get over their love of curdled, cured milk. It’s a “Lord of the Rings Lite” lark, the sort of film a bunch … Continue reading →

Hot off the presses. A thriller that’s not exactly what the title gives away. From the director of “Okja” and “Snowpiercer” and “The Host.” “Parasite” won the Palm d’Or at Cannes and opens Oct. 11.

The “Spider-Man” of chick pictures earns another all star remake. Saoirse and Emma, Florence Pugh, Timothee Chalamet and Meryl Streep and Laura Dern. Oh and Chris Cooper and Eliza Scanlen and Tracy Letts and so many others, all gathered for … Continue reading →

Emilia Clarke, Michelle Yeoh, Emma Thompson, a Nov. 8 release, a Brit based rom com for the holidays. Can a “Game of Thrones” vixen carry a sentimental holiday romance? Can Henry Golding, the love interest, show us more than his … Continue reading →

Annapurna, which was set to release this one, is in dire financial straits. United Artists has this Richard Linklater picture, which stars Cate Blanchett and Billy Crudup, Lawrence Fishburne and Kristen Wiig and, of course, Judy Greer. Mom runs off … Continue reading →

It’s not the most diverse musical genre, in its performers or in its fan base. But as “classic rock” finally starts to age its way into geezer biker bars and becomes the genuine “oldies radio” of today, it’s high time … Continue reading →

A morality tale set in rural Germany during the run up to World War II. Lots of nature, of course, features in “A Hidden Life,” lots of debate about Hitler and “free will.” Malick’s films are always events. This one, … Continue reading →

The world’s had plenty of time to make up its mind about David Crosby of Crosby, Stills Nash & (sometimes) Young. Heaven knows the man himself has given us the necessary data to form a defensible opinion. “Mouthy, self-righteous, self-destructive … Continue reading →

For my money, Craig Ferguson did the best late night talk show of this millennium. Not as searing and politically astute as Jon Stewart, not the populist cheerleader that Colbert has become, never built for the viral era that Jimmy … Continue reading →