Monthly Archives: May 2023

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 →

When one refers to the sequel “The Book Club: The Next Chapter” as “creaky but charming,” one must hasten to add that one is referring to the groaner laughs, gear-grinding situations and dated plot, and not the engaging ladies of … Continue reading →

If you’re casting a movie about a business tycoon who basically launched a car company in a fit of pique, you could do worse than parking veteran screen heavy Frank Grillo in the title role. Grillo can be menacing. Grillo … Continue reading →

The age-old proviso about Bollywood films is that if the music and the choreography is good enough, you’ll excuse the slack storytelling of the inconsequential story. “Tu Jhoothi Main Makkaar” puts that to the test with dazzling choreography, fun music, … Continue reading →

My first experience of the phenomenon instantly-labeled “Crackberry” was near its Canadian source, at the Toronto Film Festival shortly after the turn of the Millenium. You couldn’t watch a movie there without scanning a sea of little green screens all … Continue reading →

I’ve been reading Deadline.com’s reporting all week that has been shocked SHOCKED at steadily dropping expectations for the HUGE opening weekend for “Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol. 3.” The summer’s debut blockbuster was sporting $135-150 million prognostications. Early. And then … Continue reading →