Monthly Archives: October 2019

“Countdown” is for those horror fans who like their drinks straight, no chaser. Nothing too fancy. Not too much “explaining,” none that has to make any sense, anyway. Nice and cheap (a $6.5 million budget). Cast good-looking unknowns (Elizabeth Lail, Jordan … Continue reading →

Artists, the old saying goes, “pound the same nail over and over again.” For the Spanish filmmaker Pedro Almodóvar, that nail often has fingernail polish on it. “Pain & Glory,” his 22nd feature film, finds the 70 year-old legend in … Continue reading →

For someone who gripes that a big problem with Hollywood these days is its abandonment of proven, visionary directors, this is sobering. Ang Lee has been given a lot of chances to deliver the goods since “Brokeback Mountain,”none bigger tha … Continue reading →

It wasn’t anybody’s idea of a classic, not even the best kiddie movie about witches of its day. But “Hocus Pocus” has aged well, as have its stars– Bette, Sarah Jessica P. and Kathy Najimy. Will they be on the … Continue reading →

Yeah, more youngsters menaced by a “killer app.” Embargo on reviews for this one, so mum’s the word about its quality until Noon Thursday. Real vote of confidence there, STX. A horror movie that works has nothing to fear from … Continue reading →

The narcotized normality of suburbia takes a pastel-colored pummelling in “Greener Grass,” a daft and dark comedy from two alumni of the comedy troupe, Upright Citizen’s Brigade. That shared credit, where Dawn Luebbe and Jocelyn DeBoer connected, tells you what … Continue reading →

Now it’s Ken Loach, veteran of the British film scene, who burns Marvel Movies a new one. The director of “The Wind that Shakes the Barley,” “Bread and Roses,” “Jimmy’s Hall” and many Celtic-flavored dramas in the UK, has added … Continue reading →

“Black and Blue” is a lean, simple, pulse-pounding thriller built around an intensely relatable star, a perfectly alarming villain and a story that has the ring of “ripped from today’s headlines” about it. It’s a genre picture, plain and simple … Continue reading →

Love Naomi Harris. Frank Grillo is one of the better heavies making movies today. Fingers crossed for “Black and Blue” lives matter, which opens Friday.

What do you think? Does it sell the picture? Promise improvements over the other formulaic and recycled installments in the saga?