Author Archives: Roger Moore

The thing about “ticking clock” thrillers, movies with a hard, fast and deadly deadline, is that somebody on board has to be able to tell time. Preferably the director. That was Job One for James McTeigue (“V for Vendetta,” and … Continue reading →

The definition of “hood hero” has changed in the half century (close) between the original “Superfly” and the slick new remake. Trevor Jackson stars, and while the haircut may scream “Pimp: The Next Generation,” think of where the culture is. … Continue reading →

Augustine Frizzell’s Tale of Texas Teen Tarts — watch the trailer before siccing #MeToo on me, please — has raunchy laughs and that ever-so-intoxicating “Broke Girls” Out of, ah, HOOTS to give vibe. In the picture, two stoner/waitress rebels take … Continue reading →

Deliberate aimlessness is the narrative goal of “Sollers Point,” an intimate, gritty and meandering character study built around a charismatic turn by leading man McCaul Lombardi. The film follows his character, Keith, through a month or so of trying to … Continue reading →

If one didn’t know better, one might swear on a copy of “Fahrenheit 451” that the makers of “They Remain” had just seen “Annihilation” and set out to do a micro-budget/tiny-cast/no-name-cast version. They didn’t, of course. But if we’re going … Continue reading →

It’s Wednesday, and what do we know about movies that “preview” Wednesdays? There are two such previews tonight in my little corner of filmdom. And judging from the lack of reviews posted elsewhere, most critics are facing this dilemma. Do … Continue reading →

“The Rider” is a docudrama as elegy, a slice of rodeo realism that both romanticizes and demythologizes the Cowboy Way in a corner of America where that still means something. Chloe Zhao’s follow-up to “Songs My Brother Taught Me” could … Continue reading →

Ned Chipley doesn’t do things half-way. He’s an eager beaver of the first order. “He just wants to help,” his frustrated mother explains. He wants to help entirely too much. Like the time, in the cougar suit as his high … Continue reading →

In space, on Mars, things can go wrong. And do. But what’s an investigator into a space accident to do when the AI “assisting” her in the digging has a mind of its own? Sci-fi on a budget, for sure. … Continue reading →

“Terminal” is a neo-noir mystery-thriller in the “Sin City/Dark City” vein, a not-exactly-triumph of style over story, surface sheen over coherence. Built around another bombshell bad-girl turn by Margot Robbie, it’s getting limited release and is destined to be quickly … Continue reading →