Monthly Archives: August 2019

“Spider in the Web” is a well-crafted, reasonably cunning spy thriller starring Ben Kingsley as an aged Israeli agent on the hunt for proof of a company’s complicity in helping arm Syria with chemical and biological weapons. It hangs on … Continue reading →

Creepy and funny. Fascinating. October.

Say what you will about the time-bending, stop-a-murder-before-it-happens poppycock of “Don’t Let Go,” the damned contraption holds your attention. Well-cast, but built on the hoariest movie murder mystery conventions, confusingly, inconsistently-plotted yet engrossing and almost moving, it reminded me of … Continue reading →

“Mom! That ‘Girl with the Dragon Tattoo’ is staring through the gate again!” Words NOBODY wants to hear. Even if you’re a fan of the original “Girl,” Noomi Rapace, being a bit afraid of her, in or out of character … Continue reading →

Director and co-writer Scott A. Hamilton makes a big deal out of his debut feature, “What Death Leaves Behind” being an example of “non-linear” storytelling. Such movies employ tricky timelines, sometimes employ the rare “flash forward” along with that hoary … Continue reading →

Yeah, it sounds icky. It’s hard seeing the trailer and reading the short summary on IMDb and figuring out ANY way they can make this worthwhile, judgemental and cautionary. Will the British seaside scenery make it seem less so? “Scarborough” … Continue reading →

Ridley Scott directed it and gained fame because of it. It made Sigourney Weaver’s career. Action auteur Walter Hill was a much bigger name at the time it came out, and was a producer on it. He’s the guy who … Continue reading →

That’s some catch, that Catch-22. Unless you’re British, of course. There the biggest catch of them all might be “The Official Secrets Act,” a sweeping anti-leaks law that makes the mere act of defending yourself from charges that you let … Continue reading →

  “The Fanatic” deals a glancing blow to the golden age of the Fan Boy via a cautionary tale that smacks of the way society used to look at that sort of obsessive, socially awkward cultural cliche that’s too into … Continue reading →

“Bittersweet” could be the ultimate single-word “spoiler alert” for any screen romance, aside from the fact that it’s almost a given in the genre. That’s true even in same-sex romances, as “The Blonde One” reminds us. It’s an Argentine tale … Continue reading →