Monthly Archives: August 2021

“Don’t Breathe 2” is the most gruesomely violent major motion picture since, well, “The Suicide Squad.” A sequel to a horrific thriller that demonstrated the chilling power of silence, co-creators Rodo Sayagues (who takes the directing credit this time) and … Continue reading →

Ryan Reynolds rules the box office this weekend, with the Formerly Fox/Now Disney release “Free Guy” blowing up to a $28 million debut. Not a franchise (yet) or sequel (ditto), not showing anywhere but in theaters, and killer RR promotion … Continue reading →

“Beckett” is a piece of pulse-pounding poppycock whipped up as a star vehicle for John David Washington. It’s got enough going for it that I’d like to recommend it. But I have reservations. Boy, do I ever. The title character … Continue reading →

When you put a fun, well reviewed movie starring a beloved actor into theaters and not on TV, a lot of people will show up. That’s the lesson from this weekend, as “Free Guy,” a comedy, matches what “The Suicide … Continue reading →

Much of the enduring pop and rock of the 1980s had this shimmering, sunny sheen and rhythmic bounce to it, and that wasn’t just a product of the end of disco and punk as they were absorbed into New Wave … Continue reading →

Distributor Gunpowder & Sky takes a shot at Netflix teen film turf with this latest spin on the classic “Cyrano de Bergerac,” coming out in early Sept. Better than “The Half of It” or “Sierra Burgess is a Loser”? We … Continue reading →

Some good ideas and chewy, hardboiled dialogue don’t entirely go to waste in “Crime Story,” a thriller that barely transcends its beyond-generic title. You have to buy Oscar winner Richard Dreyfuss, in his reduced-mobility years, as a retired mobster still … Continue reading →

Udo Kier takes a tragi-comic victory lap in his storied career with “Swan Song,” an old man’s odyssey long walk into twilight, revisiting and even reliving past glories as he does. In cinema buff shorthand, it’s David Lynch’s “The Straight … Continue reading →

A “Blade Runner” set in an ever-closing-in future, a world where machines become the new Tinder/Grindr, and murderous stuff is going down? Sept. 3.

Sept. 17, get CAGED. Sofia Boutella and Nick Cassavetes are among the co-stars of this “legendary” tale about the one man who can break a curse and free a kidnapped young woman.