Author Archives: rogerinorlando

Chad Hartigan, who gave us the understated “Martin Bonner,” directed. This Feb. release from IFC also stars Soko.

On a sliding “quirky tales about teenage girls” scale, “Antarctica” is a lot more “Ghost World” than “Booksmart.” Not that it’s in either of those films’ league. It’s another self-consciously odd, almost surreal “smirk” of a comedy about two misfits … Continue reading →

We are all heroes of our own story. And if we’re white and Southern, some of us are happy to throw in a little Tennessee Williams-styled “martyr” to the tale. Netflix and Ron Howard serve up a lot of both … Continue reading →

“Blindfire” is the (fictional) story of a deadly police shooting that sets out to demonstrate such situations are “complicated.” But as it tells its story from the “troubled” cop’s point of view, the film’s problematic agenda clashes with its clumsy, … Continue reading →

If you can look on homeless person and not instinctively turn away, you know the last thing this human condition needs is sugar-coating sentimentality. Everybody in that situation has a story and none of them are pretty. So a homeless … Continue reading →

Nicolas Cage is — hands down — the best, most-committed and most-fun voice actor in animated films today. Fight me. His hilarious, empathetic and occasionally gonzo turn made the cave-family comedy “The Croods” a surprise delight back in 2013. Credit … Continue reading →

A terror threat to New York has been identified, but all the police want to do is frame a local mosque run by an ex-con. A rich family has arranged a change at the top. But murdering the patriarch doesn’t … Continue reading →

Nobody’s traveling much these days. But the movies can add to your bucket list of destinations once the pandemic has been beaten back. “Sing Me a Song” hits various movie-watching platforms Jan. 1

Disney’s new version of “Black Beauty” makes the famed fictional horse a wild Western mustang and moves her from 19th century England to modern day America. But writer-director Ashley Avis doesn’t shy away from the dark undertones of Anna Sewell’s … Continue reading →

Long before the streaming services made the label “made for television movie” respectable, there were stand-outs in the stepsister genre that showed you didn’t need Hollywood backing to make a good movie. Spielberg’s breakout “Duel” is the best known example. … Continue reading →