Monthly Archives: February 2024

It’s hard, even for people who lived through it, to remember how weird the American cinema was in the years between “Easy Rider” and “Jaws.” Old Hollywood, comprising the studios that were being swallowed into conglomerates as the last of … Continue reading →

“Monolith” is an exercise in the simple power of storytelling, compelling voices summoning up all the acting gravitas they can to evoke chills and a fear of a vague, unknown “something.” Built around a dogged podcaster, her recording studio and … Continue reading →

“The Heartbreak Agency” sets up as a German variation on the relationship expert gets his or her just deserts rom-com formula, a Teutonic “Accidental Husband,” “How to Lose a Guy in Ten Days” or “Failure to Launch.” But after a … Continue reading →

Fan to be serviced or hate-watcher, you owe it to yourself to take a look at Jennifer Lopez’s “This is Me…Now: A Love Story,” an indulgent, album-tie in narrative whose over-the-top visuals and J-Lo explaining J-Lo story are something to … Continue reading →

They spent some money on music rights for this 1991 period piece, cleverly timed to come out on the cusp of spring break. The cast? They saved some cash there. Beware the Ides of March, for that is when Republic … Continue reading →

No film buff could walk by the promise of a new Larry McMurtry biography, remember “Hud,” “The Last Picture Show,” “Terms of Endearment,” “Lonesome Dove” and “Brokeback Mountain” and not at least stop to thumb through the book’s photos. But … Continue reading →

This is the nuttiest promotion for a movie since a studio sent out boxes of plastic tomatoes to create buzz for “Fried Green Tomatoes.” But it’s different. Check it out. There’s a LOT of Jack Black in this and no, … Continue reading →

Excellent production values and solid special effects were squandered on the Korean blockbuster “The Moon,” maybe the dumbest space flight picture since we learned, for certain, that the Moon isn’t made of cheese. It’s a space disaster movie of the … Continue reading →

Seems to me I’ve started watching “The Entertainer” several times over the years, got one look at Lord Olivier in greasepant and gloves, tap dancing and singing, and thought “Well, not tonight.” A melancholy tale of a dying art form … Continue reading →

“Land of Bad” is a solid-enough B-movie combat thriller with the cast and production values of an A-picture. It’s got Oscar winner Russell Crowe as an Air Force drone pilot guiding commandos played by Luke and Liam Hemsworth, Milo Ventimiglia … Continue reading →