Monthly Archives: August 2023

Didya love “Black Dynamite?” Didya MISS it? Get on that, wouldya? I loved it. And this has “Black Dynamite” blaxploitation Western energy, and we know Mr. White’s gift for deadly deadpan. Michael Jai White wrote, directed and stars in “Outlaw … Continue reading →

Every ten years, like clockwork, we get a new version of “La grande séduction.” And every ten years, I review it and find something charming in this “Northern Exposure” tale of a dying village lying, cheating and manipulating its way … Continue reading →

In the spirit of “It’s animated, let’s dub it with English-speaking voices and see if it’ll sell” comes “Goodbye Monster,” a cross-cultural curiosity from China that loses something in translation. The director and co-writer of “Bobby the Hedgehog,” Huang Jianming, … Continue reading →

This A24 release is a sort of Jesus-adjacent/not quite Pythonesque account of the revolutionary ferment of 1st century Jerusalem. Omar Sy, Alfred Woodard, Benedict Cumberbatch, David Oyelowo and James McAvoy are in this January release.

An Oct 6 release from Lionsgate, et al. Mel Gibson is Mississippi Mel in this one, which is based on a Michael Farris Smith novel. Sort of Stockholm Syndromish involvement between the son and an accused cop killer? Hard to … Continue reading →

I was never much of a fan of B-movie maker Monte Hellman, who had a long if not exactly prolific career — 23 directing jobs between 1959 and the 2010s. “Two-Lane Blacktop” is a solid genre picture, and I’m hard … Continue reading →

Well, thank God that “Squared Love” romance is settled and done with. Again. Those crazy lovebirds, teacher Monika (Adrianna Chlebicka) and high-living influencer Enzo (Mateusz Banasiuk) have had not one but TWO Polish rom-coms to fall hard and tie the … Continue reading →

Elham was beaten, almost to death, by her abusive husband. When she gets out of the hospital, the only place she feels at peace — normal — is in the sea, swimming. As the daughter of a famous freestyle wrestler, … Continue reading →

“Showdown in Yesteryear” is an exceptionally-pokey indie Old West fantasy about an aged John Wayne-worshipping stable boy who finds himself transported back to @1880, Dogwood Pass. It’s ambitious enough, making use of an Ohio “Old West” town attraction, but clumsily … Continue reading →

An assassin-for-hire tale from the Great Fincher? Michael Fassbender, Tilda Swinton, Charles Parnell and Arliss Howard star in this assassin-fears-assassination mystery thriller. It reunites Fincher with his “Se7en” screenwriter Alexander Kevin Walker. October theatrical release, Nov on Netflix.