Monthly Archives: March 2024

A noteworthy political life gets lost in its details in “Shirley,” a Netflix bio-pic about the first African American Congresswoman and first African American woman to run for president, Shirley Chisholm. Veteran TV director (“Barbershop,””Guerilla”) and novelist John Ridley landed … Continue reading →

For about 45 minutes — roughly the length of the first act — Jake Gyllenhaal and “Edge of Tomorrow/Fair Game/American Made” director Doug Liman let us know that whatever the glories of Patrick Swayze’s crowd-pleasing bouncer dramedy, their version of … Continue reading →

David Krumholtz is a once promising animator facing a terminal diagnosis and the world’s callous indifference in “Lousy Carter,” a droll “My midlife crisis is death” comedy set in academia. The sort of fellow who’d accept and adopt as his … Continue reading →

To a generation of movie fans, M. Emmet Walsh was often the first name that came to mind when somebody used the label “character actor.” That wasn’t by accident. The Coens launched him to prominence as a pitiless Texas hitman … Continue reading →

“Monty Python and the Holy Grail” is one of those gold standard comedies that keeps on giving, a farce so unerringly-costumed, production designed and covered in muck that it looks like a documentary, with slapstick and sight gags that twist … Continue reading →

Here’s a sometimes-fun found-footage riff on that time, on Halloween Night of 1977, that a failing late night talk show “communed with the Devil” as a stunt for ratings. I’ve said it before and I can’t stop repeating it — … Continue reading →

“Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire” is a creaky, cutesie and cluttered sequel to the dark and pseudo-serious reboot of this goofy, action comedy franchise of the 1980s, “Ghostbusters: Afterlife.” Ungainly, so over-populated with survivors of those Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis … Continue reading →

Annie Potts returns!

Those giggly, girly, binge-eating, too-dim-to-balance-a-checkbook “Baby Assassins” are back, more childish than ever in “Baby Assassins 2 Babies,” the sequel to a fast, furious and glibly funny film about Japanese teens who have taken up contract killing as their high … Continue reading →

Writer-director Ivan Sen’s “Limbo” is a film of few words, little action and an understated resolution. It’s a murder mystery starring Simon Baker, but co-starring the scenery near Coober Pedy, a dry, under-populated sandscape riddled with holes. When Baker’s Det. … Continue reading →