Monthly Archives: July 2026

Movie Review: Same ol’ “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” or Not

Posted on July 31, 2026 by Roger Moore

The theory that any movie is improved by the presence of Jon Bernthal gets a stern test in “Spider-Man: Brand New Day.” As grumpy, crusty, gun-crazy Frank Castle, aka “The Punisher,” reluctant sidekick to Spider-Man, Bernthal curses, sticks his nose … Continue reading →

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Movie Review: Memory and Preserving the Past in Venezuela — “Lost Chapters”

Posted on July 30, 2026 by Roger Moore

The Venezualan drama “Lost Chapters” is a meditation on memory, both family and national history. Its slight story about a student’s homecoming to her book-dealer dad to finish up research on a mysterious, “fake pseudonym” hustling Venezuelan novelist of the … Continue reading →

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Movie Review: Jake J. and Steenburgen master Pickleball – “The Dink”

Posted on July 29, 2026 by Roger Moore

“The Dink” is Jake Johnson’s tamest comedy since “Let’s Be Cops.” And even though he’s done the network sitcom thing (“The New Girl”), I’ve got to say it doesn’t really suit him. “Dink” is a not-quite-rom-com about finally giving up … Continue reading →

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Netflixable? Kevin Hart’s got “72 Hours” to Stay Relevent

Posted on July 28, 2026 by Roger Moore

In his latest comedy, Kevin Hart plays an over-40 ad/marketing man who joins four Gen Z bros for a Miami bachelor party/bacchanal in order to touch base with “the youth market” and stay relevent in his business. So “72 Hours” … Continue reading →

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Movie Review: Vice, Violence and Algerian French Underworld Laughs come from “A Family of Bastards”

Posted on July 27, 2026 by Roger Moore

Humor is subjective, the epitome of “to each his/her own” in terms of taste. But I can’t recall a recent caper comedy that’s made me laugh as hard as “A Family of Bastards.” The setting is Paris, characters are Algerian … Continue reading →

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Movie Review — “Hadestown: The Musical”

Posted on July 25, 2026 by Roger Moore

The Tony Award-winning musical “Hadestown” comes to the big screen as “Hadestown: The Musical,” a filmed version of the show, earns a one week theatrical run. It’s a kind of whitebread New Orleans juke joint musical, a 1930-set retelling of … Continue reading →

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Movie Review: Crossing the Wrong Vet leads to “Motor City” Mayhem

Posted on July 25, 2026 by Roger Moore

As gimmicks go, cranking out a formulaic ’70s thriller with no dialogue, with set-piece scenes cut to songs from the era by David Bowie, Donna Summer, The Moody Blues, Bill Withers, Sniff-n Tears and Fleetwood Mac works for me. Potsy … Continue reading →

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Classic Film Review: Class, Soccer, Second Chance Love and Addiction — Ken Loach’s “My Name is Joe” (1998)

Posted on July 25, 2026 by Roger Moore

Ken Loach is a filmmaker renowned for the working class naturalism of his films, for making sweeping dramas and intimate melodramas with political, economic and social justice (or injustice) subtexts. “My Name is Joe” (1998) is one of the more … Continue reading →

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Netflixable? Idealistic Youth Go Where Governments Won’t, Saving “23,000 Lives”

Posted on July 24, 2026 by Roger Moore

A story suffused with the idealism of youth, “23,000 Lives” is about young people acting on their best impulses to help during a crisis that governments — fretting over public opinion — were trying to keep at arm’s length. It’s … Continue reading →

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Movie Review Review: “Son of Sara,” a gorier “Rosemary’s Baby”

Posted on July 23, 2026 by Roger Moore

The Canadian indie thriller “Son of Sara” is the goriest “Rosemary’s Baby” homages to come along in years. Childbirth at its most bloody, a graphic throat-slitting opening scene determined to make us watch somebody bleed out in real-time, a Lin … Continue reading →

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