Monthly Archives: June 2020

There’s no sugar-coating what happens in “Adú,’” a Spanish film about the trials of human migration in Africa. The pall of death hangs over it. A child endures horrors no child should experience, and all of those deaths directly impact … Continue reading →

Thriller from IFC due out Sept. 18. Looks creepy enough to get the job done.    

“Straight Up” is the quippiest, most quotable romantic comedy of the year. There’s no arguing over that. The proof is in the patter, all of it played at “on the spectrum” speed. “You’re the nicest person.” “I’m not. I always … Continue reading →

“The Incoherents,” a comedy about four pushing-50 white New Yorkers “getting the band back together,” has the perfect, dismissive put-down for Generation X. Because if “OK, Boomer” is out there, why should the MTV Kids get off Scot-free? A post-punk … Continue reading →

About the nicest thing one can say about “Elvis from Outer Space” is that it’s no “Bubba Ho-Tep.” I mean, if you’re gonna vamp “The King,” you need more than a title and a premise, that Fat Elvis was rescued … Continue reading →

  “The Outpost” is a straight-no-chaser account of a real-life battle during America’s Afghan War. Cinematically, it’s “Zulu” or “The Green Berets,” with a heavy dose of the Afghan War documentary “Restrepo” for realism. It is chaotic, noisy and bloody, … Continue reading →

It’s often said “I’d rather watch an interesting failure by (name a famous filmmaker here) than passable entertainment from anybody else.” That motto earns another workout — after misfires by Scorsese and Spike — with Atom Egoyan’s latest. “Guest of … Continue reading →

I like the way this trailer plays to the #Blacklivesmatter moment. Two Oscar winners — Jennifer Hudson, Forest Whitaker — with Marlon Wayans and this clever bit of casting, Marc Maron as the pushy/charming producer and genius-BEHIND-the-genius Jerry Wexler — … Continue reading →

Whatever the craftsmanship, the skill with which the story is told, a documentary is only as riveting as its subject — be it some odd business or hobby, or a character it’s built around. And that holds true for mockumentaries, … Continue reading →