Monthly Archives: January 2026

Preston Sturges may have had a decade of sparkling dialogue for films and such scripts as the holiday delight “Remember the Night” and “The Good Fairy” on his resume when he finally got to use “written and directed by” in … Continue reading →

A nearly forgotten piece of World War II lore is brought back to life in the Chinese epic “Dongji Rescue.” It’s about the Oct. 1942 sinking of a Japanese transport loaded with British POWs from the capture of Hong Kong, … Continue reading →

Horror icon Sam Raimi takes his shot at a “Cast Away” tale in the “Admirable Crichton,” “Swept Away” vein with“Send Help,” an over-the-top romp in the Raimi “Drag Me to Hell” style. It’s about class and sexism, survivalism and revenge … Continue reading →

The quips clip by and corpses pile up (off camera) as “two guys who look like they eat steroid pancackes for breakfast” team up for the action comedy “The Wrecking Crew.” Dave Bautista and Jason Momoa tear through Hawaii as … Continue reading →

“Conspiracy of Fear” is another “future is the past” slice of sci-fi noir, a shiny but emotionally empty thriller that lacks the suspense, intrigue and pretty much anytbing else to recommend it. But it’s another B movie featuring Malcolm McDowell … Continue reading →

On October 20 of 1944, with World War II at its peak and hurtling towards its conclusion, the “zipper,” the iconic New York Times electronic headlines billboard on Times Square, briefly displayed the two tops stories among “all the news … Continue reading →

A naive, hyper-sexualized Southern “wild child” makes an imprint on the pre-war Southern family where she comes to work and a son of the family comes of age in “Rambling Rose,” a florid, folksy and comically sexual period piece that … Continue reading →

So a painter, a priest and their paisan partisan walk into a movie… That’s the hackneyed set-up of “The Big Fake,” a fictional, skips-over-a-lot-of-the-good-stuff Italian heist thriller about a real life art forger who came to fame during Italy’s turbulent, … Continue reading →

Getting your first feature film finished and released is a cause for celebration. It’s a Herculean task involving training or on-the-set-experience, finance, casting, locations and hiring a crew. Most first-time feature filmmakers don’t get this far. And many of those … Continue reading →

In the dark of night, a child is taken from her bedroom right in front of her younger sister. She lived to describe her ordeal and the years it took to brng her kidnapper to justice. Near misses, moments when … Continue reading →