Monthly Archives: March 2023

The current king of understated Big Theme dramas, “Beyond the Hills” “Four Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days,” were his. This is now scheduled for April 28.

For years, the gold standard for savage physical beat-downs depicted on screen was Chan-wook Park’s “Oldboy,” whose most visceral scene is a long-held-hostage “hero’s” furious claw-hammer takedown of an entire gang standing between him and his enraged revenge upon his … Continue reading →

The stakes that characters are struggling for in a story matter, even in kid’s literature. And you can’t wholly appreciate what the children and adults are battling over in J.K. Rowling’s wizarding world until you read or see a knockoff … Continue reading →

Mermaids are Mean Girls, evil, the krakens are the real cool undersea kids. Got it? June.

“Chantilly Lace” was an all-star, largely-improvised 1993 “friends through the years” dramedy memorable mainly for its cast. This Sundance indie — that was its filming location and the place it premiered — featured Talia Shire from the “Godfather” and “Rocky” … Continue reading →

Taryn Manning, Frank Grillo and Virginia Madsen also star in this dark –“I think I shot the cook” — action comedy. Looks violently amusing. Caan goes all in. Tidy whiteys, the works. April 4.

Here’s another variation on the shlub whose only shot at a beautiful woman is if he’s “The Last Man on Earth,” this one a movie and not a Fox TV series. This wan Colombian comedy — “El Último Hombre Sobre … Continue reading →

A tale of the “little white lies” that people tell to stay married. Ahem.

This madcap Medieval farce has Pope jokes and a hero far removed from Notre Dame, a “hunchback” named “Quasi” without the “Modo.” Or perhaps he’s just Quasi to his friends. With that Mel Brooks style of Vulgar History making a … Continue reading →

History barely remembers they were at Woodstock, as they were left out of the film due to contract issues. Their Grammy glory came the year before that awards show was recorded on videotape. They played Vegas, the epitome of “selling … Continue reading →