Monthly Archives: April 2020

In the Dark Ages, every day must have been a horror movie, every breath a taste of the Apocalypse. Looking back, the only ways to survive the pestilence, lawlessness, hardship and privation had to be myopia — only thinking about … Continue reading →

All you need to make science fiction cinema is some conventional gadget, dressed up and re-purposed as your “device,” a good gimmick for what that device delivers and some villains who crave that device for nefarious purposes. No. You don’t … Continue reading →

No big screens to release to — not even a drive in? Oh. Right. This is the Pete Davidson autobiography. Nobody was going to see it in cinemas anyway. Amazon Prime, like Pete’s other movie, was its probable fate. “The … Continue reading →

“Thi Mai (Rumbo a Vietnam)” is another bubble-gum colored Spanish travelogue comedy, this one set mostly in Vietnam. It sets us up for “heartwarming,” for culture clash/language barrier gags, for madcap misadventures and a little romance — some straight, some … Continue reading →

Never got the fanaticism surrounding this title. But I wasn’t nine when it came out. Can’t knock that cast, though. Perhaps only Superfan Josh Gad could get Sean, Martha, Corey, Josh et al together again. That, and the enforced inactivity … Continue reading →

A bomb when it opened, reviewed as if Robert Altman was trying to sabotage his then-lauded reputation and end his major studio pictures career, a misfire that halted Robin Williams’ ascent, “Popeye” (1980) lives on as a monument to ’70s … Continue reading →

The teenage girl wants the rodeo clown to give away his secrets, how he does his job distracting the bull when the bullrider’s been thrown or in trouble. “How do you know when the rider’s about to fall off?” “When … Continue reading →

The acting isn’t bad, the Barcelona and environs settings gorgeous and there’s a nice tug of the heartstrings in the finale. But in all honesty, only one thing works in “In Family I Trust,” a Spanish rom-com based on a … Continue reading →

Here’s a “Last Picture Show” era story of growing up in the rural West, the crippling burdens of small town life and that one new friend who can help you lift your downcast eyes “To the Stars.” Sounds sensitive, maybe … Continue reading →

“The Willoughbys” is a kids’ cartoon conceived in that no-kids-land, the border country between “Yellow Submarine” and, oh, “Hotel Transylvania 3.” There’s whimsy and originality in the design and animation, and a trip to rehab in the screenplay. No, having … Continue reading →