Monthly Archives: July 2020

What qualities makes a children’s book or cartoon series translate across languages and cultures? Why would anime like “Gigantor” and “Speed Racer,” books and animated TV and films about “Babar” and “The Smurfs” become universal, while “Asterix” and “Arthur and … Continue reading →

“I just have this feeling…” What WILL she do? Dark and darkly humorous, and full of Neon goodness, “She Dies Tomorrow” streams Aug. 7

Some big themes and social issues are wrapped up in the stylish Indian period piece “Bulbbul,” a thriller that leans far too heavily on “Hound of the Baskervilles” for its own good. I mean, when you’ve got the law-school bound … Continue reading →

Sure, “Little Shop of Horrors” was fun. But Howard Ashman didn’t truly hit his stride until Disney realized animated musicals were the studio’s ticket back to relevance. I can remember the line where it happened for me, in Disney’s legendary … Continue reading →

The new trailer? Yes. It is. Funny, too. Adorably nostalgic. Movie’s been pushed back once or twice, Sept. 1 now. We’ll see.

A young Nigerian travels to Brazil in search of his missing older brother in “Shine Your Eyes,” a lyrical São Paulo mystery-travelogue that takes us through math, music and into madness. The search-for-a-missing person story is one of the most … Continue reading →

“Babysplitters” is the very definition of a “split decision” comedy. On the one hand, it has funny lines, situations and the odd funny touch in the performances. On the other, those are spread out over two hours. Only Judd Apatow … Continue reading →

Jemima West stars as a British combat surgeon returning from duty to fresh nightmares, nightmares that have nothing to do with PTSD. This opens Aug. 21, and props to any actress, no matter how fetching, for hanging on to “Jemima” … Continue reading →

  If you see one documentary about Russian hockey and the NHL’s historical connection to it — and there have been a few — make it “Red Penguins.” Director Gabe Polsky’s second crack at this subject (2014’s “Red Army” was … Continue reading →

Translated from the printed page onto a black and white movie screen, removed from the heady “Eastern European novelist chic” of the Nabokov ’60s, and the kinky literary “freedom” of the age, Jerzy Kosinski’s “The Painted Bird” can be appreciated … Continue reading →