Monthly Archives: December 2022

“Twisted” is a lukewarm, slow-walking thriller built around a co-dependent relationship between a widowed mother and her troubled, introverted teen daughter. It’s not helped along its merry way by clumsy plotting, slack direction and stiff performances, which seem more amateurish … Continue reading →

A lot of charm and potential cuteness gets lost in the holiday shuffle and stumbling structure of “Delivery by Christmas,” a light and what could have been more amusing seasonal romantic comedy from Poland. A lot of packages get delivered … Continue reading →

A trippy trip of a picture from Neon and directed by a Cronenberg, but not THAT Cronenberg. Check it out.

“Shook” is a half-hearted attempt at a moral parable wrapped in a standard-issue “She’s all alone” and “She has to complete all these tasks/puzzles/challenges” horror film. It’s a gimmicky thriller hung on the “influencer” hook. Seems like every other film … Continue reading →

Data and graphic from @boxofficepro.

At some point the administrator in charge of a Sicilian witness protection program has to admit to the slushie vendor who witnessed a Mafia hit and was spirited off to the Swiss Italian alps that yes, the hitman our witness … Continue reading →

“Burning Patience” is a Chilean romance that comes to your Netflix queue saddled with some baggage. You have to ignore the fact that this is the third film based on the very same source material. The Chilean screenwriter and novelist … Continue reading →

The prestige pictures are supposed to be showing up and making some box office noise on this, the second weekend of December. But “Empire of Light” won’t manage much, “The Whale” isn’t opening wide and “Spoiler Alert” is neither a … Continue reading →

The last time I interviewed screen legend Gregory Peck, I had the temerity to ask if there were any “regrets” among his 58 on screen credits. He didn’t hesitate. “McKenna’s Gold,” he said. Something about the unpleasant ensemble experience, the … Continue reading →

“The Marriage App” is an Argentine rom-com — in Spanish with subtitles, or dubbed into English — about the Great Mystery of Marriage, or as the writer Tom Robbins once put it, “how to make love stay.” Rocio Blanco’s script … Continue reading →