Monthly Archives: December 2022

With a little help from “SNL,” singing farewell to Cecily Strong.

Sergio Corbucci might have faded into obscurity if Spaghetti Western fiend Quentin Tarantino hadn’t reimagined his most famous character, Franco Nero’s “Django,” as an ex-slave avenger in “Django Unchained.” Corbuccci made over 60 films, from sword and sandal fare of … Continue reading →

The new Turkish rom-com “Private Lesson” was filmed and set in Istanbul. But with its fashionable college kids on the make, sexy consenting adults flirting and showing a little skin, tech touches and the like, it could be set in … Continue reading →

Opening on over 4200 screens, upsold as a 3D movie “event,” James Cameron’s latest march to box office dominance began with a whopping $17 million in Thursday night showings. Load that into the $53 million “opening day” (plus previews) , … Continue reading →

It seems as if every film conceived and shot during the COVID lockdown found one novel way to turn the restrictions, claustrophobic stir-craziness and isolation conditions into an asset. “7 Days” got the most out of the least. But if … Continue reading →

Next summer, Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling, Will Ferrell and Kate McKinnon show up in Greta Gerwig’s take on the body image issues in plastic, “Barbie.” Considering the classic film I reviewed this very AM, well I laughed my bunions off … Continue reading →

I made a resolution not to bother with reviewing anthology films a few years back. Basically, they’re a way of getting critics to review short films, which whatever their value in teaching filmmakers, helping them polish their craft and creating … Continue reading →

Uruguayan filmmaker Israel Adrián Caetano gives an old Hollywood formula a fresh workout in “Togo,” a tale of a homeless old man that the local toughs underestimate at their own peril. This Around the World with Netflix title is a … Continue reading →

Well-cut trailer, gives us the flavor but doesn’t give away the whole plot. DEA agent dad’s kid is kidnapped? Things just got even more serious. Feb. 3, “Little Dixie” explains itself.

One of the duller stretches between the combat sequences and alien life showcase moments of “Avatar: The Way of Water” gave me a few minutes to ponder what other movies produced visuals this stunning, this far beyond the Hollywood state-of-the-art … Continue reading →