Daily Archives: July 22, 2021

No Kyle. No Sting. No Lynch. This is not your Mom’s “Dune.” The third crack at Frank Herbert’s sci-fi epic may be the one that delivers its desert planet pre George Lucas, its neo Arabic/Bedouin arid life in space novelty.

“The Five Rules of Success” is a compact, artful and blunt take on an ex-con’s life “outside,” re-entering a world tempered by violence and fraught with the perils of recidivism. Writer/director/cinematographer and co-editor Orson Oblowitz immerses us in a very-indie … Continue reading →

Natalie Morales and Mark Duplass co-wrote and co-star this September comedy (Morales directed) about a Spanish teacher and her semi-goof of a student. Geuss who plays which role? Hey, I laughed.

“Old” begins as mysterious, creepy and filled with the foreboding — that sense that some “gotcha” is coming — that is M. Night Shyamalan’s brand. Immaculate camera compositions, a beautiful but forbidding isolated beach location in a digitally-augmented Dominican Republic … Continue reading →

“Cosmic Sin” is a fine example of how much science fiction you can put on the screen these days, even after paying Frank Grillo and Bruce Willis took most of your budget. It’s not a “fine example” of anything else. … Continue reading →