Monthly Archives: November 2022

A woman with a baby, an under-age car thief…Dec. 23 in limited release.

As tales of a family holed up after an apocalypse go, “Shadows” isn’t particularly bad. Carlo Lavagna’s thriller has a decent sense of isolation and a time-tested source of conflict. But the director of “Ariana” commits two cardinal sins in … Continue reading →

Fun, flamboyant enough to remind us of all the gossipy speculation that used to follow him around, and cool. Because that’s one part of his image Daniel Craig won’t want to shed.

When you boil a thriller down to the bare essentials, you realize just how many of them get by on one killer gimmick. Jimmy Stewart, busted leg, trapped in his apartment watching a murder and cover-up through his “Rear Window” … Continue reading →

Every few years, Disney likes to remind a new generation of fans that this global entertainment colossus was “all started by a mouse,” as founder Walt Disney used to say. “Mickey: The Story of a Mouse” is such a reminder, … Continue reading →

We love Will Ferrell, Ryan Reynolds and Octavia Spencer. We all do, and I know I’m not speaking out of turn when I say “we” here. And that’s a big help when diving into the musical “Spirited,” a musical “Christmas … Continue reading →

The opening scene of “Wild is the Wind” is a routine traffic stop that is anything but routine. A sketchy-looking speeder has been pulled overon a lonely road somewhere on the Veldt. Two South African cops — one white, one … Continue reading →

For those keeping score at home, “Wakanda Forever” earned more its opening weekend at the domestic box office than “Black Adam” has made ($145 million) in a month. “Smile” cleared the $100 million mark, “Ticket to Paradise” cleared the $50 … Continue reading →

“Byzantine” is the word we use to describe insanely-complicated and sometimes murderously murky political situations. But the literal back-stabbers of the Eastern Roman Empire had nothing on the mess that was Korean politics during South Korea’s dictatorships, coups and assassinations … Continue reading →

Back in the ’80s, I was helping my “sourdough” housemates set up for a poker game in a place I rented up Kodiak, Alaska way. And then “Breaking Away” came on the satellite dish TV. As I settled in to … Continue reading →