Monthly Archives: March 2026

His misses are so rare between his many hits that we don’t think of Ryan Gosling as ever taking an errant step on his rise ro stardom. But a “Gangster Squad,” “Song to Song” or “The Gray Man” turns up … Continue reading →

I am at a loss when trying to come up with an Oscar nominated short film that I’ve ever felt was unworthy of being in the field. Something about the process of submission, how seriously those who vote to winnow … Continue reading →

The brawls have to do most of the heavy lifting in your typical martial arts genre picture, even the ones in a scenic setting. That’s doubly true in “The Forbidden City,” a stumbling and generally indifferent kung fu thriller with … Continue reading →

The ’70s are widely regarded as the cinema’s second gilded age, and with good reason. As the audience shrank to date movie kids, action and genre addicts who thought drive-ins were the best way to watch a movie or discerning, … Continue reading →

A little old-fashioned movie star charisma and sex appeal spice up the latest from romance novelist Colleen Hoover, “Reminders of Him.” An overwrought and only slightly less far fetched romantic melodrama than her edgier and abusive “This Ends with Us,” … Continue reading →

The scary possibilities of a spooky story told and acted-out with simple sound recordings and timely sound effects are stretched to their limit in “Undertone,” a myopic and creepy thriller that messes with everything between your headphones. Basically it’s a … Continue reading →

The Grateful Dead may be dead, but Deadheadism lives on in the global “Let’s try Ayahuasca, ‘shrooms, (hallucinogenic) sage and toads” set — the “consciousness” pathfinders among us. Well, the idle, entitled and easily bored among us, anyway. “Wetiko” is … Continue reading →

The many unattractive faces and personality traits of deeply flawed humanity cross the screen in “The Ugly,” a Korean murder mystery and human nature parable from the filmmaker of the zombie thrillers “Train to Busan,” “Seoul Station” and “Peninsula.” It … Continue reading →

You don’t need a wine buzz to “appreciate” “The Napa Boys,” a vulgar, lowbrow and clumsily unfunny send of up “Sideways” and lots of pop culture of similar vintage. But it probably helps. There have been good reviews of this … Continue reading →

Generations have been introduced to the no-named stranger who is quick to kill or maim and even quicker with a quip through the Clint Eastwood Sergio Leone Western “A Fistful of Dollars” (1964), the Bruce Willis/Walter Hill Depression Era Western … Continue reading →