Monthly Archives: November 2021

The title — “Love Hard” — is a mashup of “Die Hard” and “Love Actually,” clashing visions visions of “the Best Christmas Movie Ever.” And truthfully, this piffle doesn’t get much deeper or funnier than that. It’s a Hallmark Channel … Continue reading →

A film of consequence and warning, Kenneth Branagh’s “Belfast” takes us back to the beginning of “The Troubles” in Northern Ireland and lets us see them through the eyes of a little boy. A very personal story equal parts pathos … Continue reading →

“Blonde. Purple” is a heist tale/hostage thriller with vague pretenses of Tarantino or Guy Ritchie and little of the style, panache, wit or adrenalin of either of them at their worst. The odd moment of acting heat dissipates in a … Continue reading →

They all go Hugh Jackman, eventually. And @vancityreynolds never sees it coming.

So it’s kind of the anti-“Love, Actually?” Dec. 3, nothing like a little grim death and dark humor about it to celebrate the holidays with.

The Season of Scott Adkins continues as “Seized,” another generic C-movie thriller, makes its way to Netflix. It’s a shoot-em-up, punch-em-up, kick-em-down picture without much plot, without any pace but with Mario Van Peebles as its villain. That’s almost a … Continue reading →

The funniest thing about “The Rumperbutts” is its initial, opening act concept. A musical couple, Wiggles-popular children’s entertainers, have to dress up in plush hedgehog (ish) costumes, tour and do their TV show and meet their contract obligations long after … Continue reading →

This Apple TV+ premiere gets into the story of one of those “I just LOVE Christmas” over-decorating, traffic-drawing, electricity-wasting, neighbor-infuriating cranks whose “calculated” antics got his neighborhood up in arms. Nov. 26, we see the brawl break out.

The first time Julia Child appeared on TV, it was on “Educational Television” in Boston in the 1960s. She was to plug her culture-shifting new cookbook, “Mastering the Art of French Cooking.” But what she was most concerned about was … Continue reading →