Yearly Archives: 2023

It looks…humorless. But the effects look rock solid and Paramount is hurling this bad boy against the cinema wall, and it will stream May 30. “I know a big-ass shark when I see one!”

“The Apex Predator” is back. And we ain’t talking “Barracuda,” either. Another Megalodon? “I just hope it goes better than last time!” Aug. 4. Megashark vs. J. Stath. Fair fight.

With women’s rights and leadership role in society under assualt in many corners of the world, the time seems right for a fresh look at Egypt’s “Queen Cleopatra,” an “iconic” woman “who bowed to no man,” as producer/narrator Jada Pinkett … Continue reading →

“The Wind and the Reckoning” is the poetic title of a modestly-budgeted but informative and sometimes moving historical thriller set during the days of The Republic of Hawaii. That was the government set up by an American-backed coup in the … Continue reading →

“Velvet Jesus” is an indie melodrama that tumbles into the obvious trap, the one symbolized by its title. It’s so slow it’s static, like watching the paint dry on a paint-by-numbers “velvet Jesus” kit that a little boy, seen in … Continue reading →

It seems so long since I’d reviewed a new Woody Allen film that I had to look up to see whether this was related to his long-time-coming “cancellation,” or the fact that his days of having decent distribution passed sometime … Continue reading →

Cillian Murphy gets his Big Deal Big Screen star vehicle with this haunted turn, with Emily Blunt and Matt Damon and Branagh others in support in Christopher Nolan’s second historic epic about a history-shifting event. July 21. I can hardly … Continue reading →

It’s undeniably iconic. Mention the title and an image comes to any film buff’s mind, burnished and burned onto the retina these past 28 years. Genre-defining, operatic in scope and soap operatic in its domesticity, Michael Mann’s “Heat” is a … Continue reading →

“Employee of the Month” is a dark Belgian workplace comedy in the tradition of “Nine to Five” and “Horrible Bosses.” Yes, the title’s been used to death, even in French — “L’employée du mois.” But this crisp and ever-co-conveniently murderous … Continue reading →

“The Breaker Upperers” is a rude and rowdy Kiwi comedy about two friends who run a service that helps people get out of hard-to-end relationships. Written, directed by and starring by Madeleine Sami and Jackie Van Beek and a crew … Continue reading →