Monthly Archives: September 2022

“The Alternate” shows us how “special” a special effects movie’s effects can be, even on the cheap, and how that’s still no substitute for a sharp, tight and original script or good acting. A frustrated corporate video director and editor … Continue reading →

A little power pop from 1981 is the big musical moment in Kevin Smith’s farewell to the 1994 movie and characters that made him famous. The song’s messaging fits into the film’s sentimentality. But it’s not exactly hip or cutting … Continue reading →

One sobering piece of knowledge worth considering every time you hear the “official” version of something deadly involving a police officer is the one thing almost every cop is a genuine expert in. They know just what they can get … Continue reading →

A semi autobiographical version of a great filmmaker’s childhood, with Michelle Williams, Paul Dano and Judd Hirsch playing the adults in a sensitive, cinematic kid’s life. Thanksgiving.

Creepy, psychological, and opening Sept. 30.

The post summer hangover at the box office continues, with numbers further deflated by the hole COVID punched into the movie-going habits of millions. Horror used to be the most reliable, if never the biggest audience at the cineplex. Endless … Continue reading →

Kate Bosworth, Zolee Griggs and Alexis Ren also star in this Miami hit man tale opening Sept. 23, from Screen Media. That Banderas growl has to sell it, right?

The Rock as a superhero, an ex James bond as his enabler.

The whiff of fall sends a movie critic into reveries of Toronto, where the annual film festival (TIFF) is underway again. It’s a lovely city that hosts a first rate festival. Is the shoe museum still open? A movie like … Continue reading →

“Steal from one,” the old saying goes, “and you’re a plagiarist. Steal from many, you’re a bloody genius.” Something like that. Writer-director Steve Stone almost makes a sci-fi fan viewing party game out of the antecedents for his thriller “Deus,” … Continue reading →