Monthly Archives: December 2022

“The King of Laughter,” director and co-writer Mario Martone’s screen biography of the comic actor and playwright Eduardo Scarpetta, finishes with a flourish. Late in life, the famed parodist, played by Toni Servillo, is in court, defending himself against charges … Continue reading →

Critics use the phrase “instantly awful” to describe bad movies entirely too often and far too cavalierly. For that, please accept my heartfelt mea culpa. We should all reserve “instantly awful” for C-movie garbage like “Pistolera,” an underworld vengeance thriller … Continue reading →

Guillermo del Toro is not here to protect your tiny tykes from the grim realities of the big bad world. Like Walt Disney before him, he acknowledges the dangers and tragedies of life, and that life itself is fleeting. Wars … Continue reading →

The animation’s slightly better than TV’s current state of the art, but the screenplay is strictly “Scooby-doo” for Disney’s latest former 20th Century Fox franchise revival, “Night at the Museum: Kahmunrah Rises Again.” I guess with the Disney+ “Diary of … Continue reading →

The inventor of the detective story has already been featured in a film about his West Point career this year. But this Scott Cooper adaptation of a modern novel about bloody goings on at the U.S. Military Academy in the … Continue reading →

Father Manuel is used to the lashing out, the blind, disruptive rages that can turn into riots at the shelter he runs. These are damaged kids, and often he’s “the only one in this world who gives a damn about” … Continue reading →

It wouldn’t be Christmas without Netflix offering some wacky riff on the holidays from Brazil. This year, it’s semi-amusing rom-com built around the comedienne/influencer Gkay, aka Gessica Kayane. In “Christmas Full of Grace,” the bubbly, curvaceous Kayane plays an unfiltered, … Continue reading →

“Women Talking” is a parable about feminine power. Framed as a heated debate in search of a resolution of what women can do about men and their age-old “war on women,” controlling, abusing and silencing them, Sarah Polley’s film is … Continue reading →

A creepy “control freak” thriller built around Anna Kendrick in the title role sounds like Kendrick’s best role in years. This one hits limited release at the end of Dec., opens wide Jan 20.

A fellow named Seuss wrote a character called “Grinch.” Mr. Jones just knew a hit cartoon would be a cinch. But lo and behold, horror hacks “parodied” this wit. Such a pity the filmed “Mean One” turned out to be … Continue reading →