Monthly Archives: September 2020

A dangerous journey of self discovery? Oct. 2 this one hits Film Movement.

There’s something amusingly disorienting about the creature feature “Shortcut.” It’s an Italian production set in modern-day rural Italy, with a 1960s vintage Italian bus filled with English schoolkids, and an English-speaking bus driver. Read the fine print on the sign … Continue reading →

If there’s such a thing as “universal humor,” it’s got to be toilet-based. Planet to planet, galaxy by galaxy — excrement, poop, caca, dung — no matter how you polish it, a turd’s a turd. And talking about it, showing … Continue reading →

A goofy, ’50s sitcomish alternate timeline riff with Elizabeth Olsen and Paul Bettany. It comes in mini series form, and yes, Kat Dennings is in it too. Randall Park, Kathryn Hahn. Looks cute.

William Oliver “Ollie” Stone, child of Eastern privilege who eschewed at least some of that advantage to go through hard knocks on his own, a Vietnam Vet who enlisted and fought as an infantryman, later a pacifist and outspoken critic … Continue reading →

I can see the Academy’s point, but perhaps the emphasis should be on below the line production gigs, where diversity is a bigger problem, might be the first step here. We’re already seeing films where checkbox casting is calling attention … Continue reading →

It was 1951, and nobody was making movies about racism and African American rage back then. Much of the cast was local amateurs. As it was filmed in Argentina but set in Chicago, that makes for some odd accents. The … Continue reading →

There’s arguing — not loud, not heated — at the funeral reception. It was a Jewish funeral, and the debate is over the deceased’s last wish — to be cremated. But there is no arguing over why “she” killed herself. … Continue reading →

Ok, none of the folks involved in making “This is Spinal Tap” way back when has had great demands on their time these past few years. Yes, it would have been interesting if they’d taken a chance at reviving the … Continue reading →

The creators of the Indonesian romantic comedy “Whipped” play versions of themselves, which is the cleverest thing this film (“Bucin,” in Indonesian) has going for it. To wit — Chandra Liow is ID’d in the opening credits as “single” and … Continue reading →