Monthly Archives: April 2023

“Devil’s Hollow” is a downbeat, torpid thriller of the Appalachian Gothic persuasion. A few solid performances and a strong sense of place never quite lift this formulaic melodrama out of the funk it wallows in. Shuler Hensley stars as Bobby … Continue reading →

It should go without saying that you don’t settle into the two-hours+ of a drama set within the world of haute cuisine with an empty stomach. That’s doubly true for the Thai tale “Hunger,” whose title is the last warning … Continue reading →

A few tasty co stars fill the orbit of Sir Ben’s Salvador Dali, an unfocused “celebrity” during the era he befriended Mia Farrow and ran with the jet set, and had no time to paint. Sort of “My Week with … Continue reading →

Eden REALLY wants to go to college, and not just any college, but tony Pembroke. As widowed Dad runs a septic tank service, she’s going to need help. That’s why the “scholarship girl” hits up her rich private school classmate … Continue reading →

No “big” names in the cast, but it could be interest. Paramount has this one for digital and theatrical release, beginning May 5.

“Chupa” is a harmless Spanglish trifle for kids, an “E.T.” riff about Mexico’s flying (!?) vampire bobcat of myth, El Chucacabra. It’s built on a simple formula — kid discovers a supernatural (or extraterrestrial) playmate, must save it from those … Continue reading →

Our intrepid old man hero makes it into the Age of the Rolling Stones with no “Sympathy for the Devil,” or The Devil’s Hireling, Nazi Mads Mikkelsen. I have been skeptical about this since its inception. Do we really need … Continue reading →

“I don’t know much about art,” the old joke goes. “But I know what I like.” That settles in for a pleasant, gloriously inconsequential run around the cinematic block with the latest from Kelly Reichardt. In “Showing Up,” the “First … Continue reading →

French filmmaker François Ozon’s “Everything Went Fine” is a fact-based drama that details the moral quandary and legal and logistical obstacles family members face in France when a failing relative asks them the ultimate favor. “I want you to help … Continue reading →

I’ve told friends, who ask questions about people I’ve interviewed, that the only time I’ve ever gotten up from an interview, and stopped at the hotel suite or restaurant entryway and turned around, considering the question, “Wanna grab a beer?” … Continue reading →