Monthly Archives: August 2026

Movie Review: A “Burning” “Rashomon” from Kyrgyzstan

Posted on August 13, 2026 by Roger Moore

It may be ethnocentric to think this way, but one can’t help but hope that universally recognized civil rights, liberty and justice make their way into every corner of the world. Because you never know what sort of values you’ll … Continue reading →

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Movie Review: A “Last Ride” with Spike Lee’s Less Talented Kid Brother

Posted on August 12, 2026 by Roger Moore

“Last Ride” is a bit of a head-slapper, a creaky, crawling thriller with intensely unlikable characters doing one stupid thing after another and a screwy semi-supernatural plot that staggers from the unlikely to the insanely inane. It stumbles out of … Continue reading →

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Movie Review: You Can’t Spell Heartache without “H is for Hawk”

Posted on August 10, 2026 by Roger Moore

Almost all of us missed “H is for Hawk” when it was shown in “select cinemas” last winter. And we’re all the poorer for it. This sublime, understated film — based on a memoir by Helen MacDonald — is another … Continue reading →

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Classic Film Review: Dietrich and Douglas, Posh Infidelity with “The Lubitsch Touch” — “Angel”

Posted on August 9, 2026 by Roger Moore

It’s 1937, and Marlene Dietrich would let the world know she could shed almost every hint of her German accent when it suited her purposes. Melvyn Douglas proved that all a bland leading man needed to do was grow a … Continue reading →

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Netflixable? It’s “The Last House” and Nobody Should Buy It

Posted on August 8, 2026 by Roger Moore

“The Last House” is “A Quiet Place” with rain — “A Rainy Place.” With survivalism. And monsters. It’s a dull and exceptionally stupid environmental thriller, sort of “The Revenge of the Sea” for dummies. Screenwriter Matthew Robinson wrote “Love and … Continue reading →

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Movie Review: Discovering his Greek Roots in “A Spartan Dream”

Posted on August 6, 2026 by Roger Moore

A little charm is meant to go a very long way in the daft and twee Greek American comedy “A Spartan Dream.” Never quite funny but aspiring to “cute,” it serves up a little Greek history — some of it … Continue reading →

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Netflixable? “The Debt Collector” owes us Our Time Back

Posted on August 6, 2026 by Roger Moore

“The Debt Collector” is a rigidly, laughably formulaic martial arts thriller that takes forever and a day to tick off the checklist of ingredients of that formula. The plot of this Thai tale is so moldy, with one mandatory waypoint … Continue reading →

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Classic Film Review: Cocteau Kink? “Les parents terribles — The Terrible Parents,” aka “The Storm Within”(1948)

Posted on August 4, 2026 by Roger Moore

One of the most praised French films of its day, Jean Cocteau’s 1948 dark comedy “Les parents terribles” still summons a chuckle or two and a cineaste’s appreciation of its compact, concentrated mise en scene-focused compositions, cinematography and editing. Its … Continue reading →

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Movie Review: A Serial Killer gives Pedophile Priests “Unholy Communion”

Posted on August 3, 2026 by Roger Moore

“Unholy Communion” is a lukewarm mystery-thriller about a hot-button topic. A serial killer exacts vengeaunce on child-molesting Catholic priests in the aftermath of what used to be the biggest sex scandal in history. These days, with a pedophile-tolerant Catholic-packed Supreme … Continue reading →

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Series Review: Epic Investigation, Ghastly Crime — “The Bombing of Pan Am 103”

Posted on August 2, 2026 by Roger Moore

A heinous crime, the vast investigation undertaken to solve it and the elusive pursuit of “justice” makes for an enrossing but sprawling and ungainly mini-series in “The Bombing of Pan Am 103.” Writer-and-series-creator Jonathan Lee’s second crack at this material … Continue reading →

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