Monthly Archives: January 2022

Here we go, here it is, so on.

“The Laureate” is a biography of the “trinity” that the British poet, novelist and translator Robert Graves shared with his painter/illustrator wife, Nancy Nicholson and American poet, critic and essayist Laura Riding. Writer-director William Nunez narrows the focus of the … Continue reading →

One of the traps of this profession is leaning too hard into sweeping generalities. You can’t say “The Holcroft Covenant” is the “worst” film of John Frankenheimer’s career, a new low in a particularly low period for Michael Caine, or … Continue reading →

It begins with that socially awkward moment, a “Do you remember me?” that quickly transitions from embarrassment to “triggered” for the 30ish writer Alina. A Londoner whose latest collection of short stories, “Italian Studies,” has gained her a measure of … Continue reading →

Doggone it, this comedy should have worked better, ticked-over like a fine Swiss watch. “The Little Switzerland,” an Around the World with Netflix farce from Spain, is about a mountainous Basque town long frustrated in its efforts to be recognized … Continue reading →

“The Contrast” is a slight, slim comedy of manners that is widely considered the “first American comedy,” as it was written and produced on the stage in 1787, and George Washington was among its first fans. It’s an arid, dry … Continue reading →

When it comes to casting your B or C movie, it always helps to have a “name” you can use to get the thing funded. Here’s a hot hack for that process. Give Mickey Rourke an eyepatch and a check … Continue reading →

Kudos to whatever outsourced functionary working for Netflix who changed the title of the Mexican film “El comediante” to “This is Not a Comedy” for Norte Americano consumption. That’s truth in advertising. And I’m just guessing here, but I’ll bet … Continue reading →

“Old Strangers,” a thriller awkwardly resembling a “creature feature,” and even more awkwardly labeled a “thriller,” falls somewhere on the student film/relatives-wrote-me-checks-so’s-I-could-make-a-movie spectrum of ineptitude. The fact that it’s listed as the third film, stretching back over 15 years, of … Continue reading →

It came and it went, without most anyone noticing. “A Shock to the System,” a deliciously dark comedy in a minor, murderous key, is one of the many minor gems on Michael Caine’s cinema resume. But what those of us … Continue reading →