Author Archives: Roger Moore

For an hour or so, I wondered why exactly National Treasure Tom Hanks would take “Finch,” a sometimes cutesy, often maudlin End Times tale pairing him with a robot. Then he gets to the “telling anecdote,” the tale his character … Continue reading →

British singer-songwriter and filmmaker Jeymes Samuel got Netflix money and an all-star cast to make his follow-up to “They Die By Dawn,” a Western that gathers many of the most famous or notorious African American figures of the Old West … Continue reading →

Oscar winning best director and indie icon Chloé Zhao presides over another big budget, huge-cast “All in the Fractious Family” Marvel monstrosity with “Eternals,” an origin story that dates from when the comic book colossus ran out of things to … Continue reading →

Maybe. I’ve reviewed five films on the day before Veteran’s Day. So far (“Eternals” i finally get around to watching tonight.). Another five tomorrow? Maybe not. But “Nevsky” and “October?” You bet I’m getting to those.

Jim Cummings isn’t subtle in “The Beta Test.” He mugs, he twitches. His expressions are broad. His banter hurtles, almost out of his mouth’s control. He hits his punchlines a little too hard. But damn, he’s funny in it. As … Continue reading →

“Marionette” is a perfectly-gloomy but overly-subdued Scottish thriller pretty much wholly undone by a contorted “twist” that derails its third act. Dutch director Elbert van Strien, remaking and expanding on a short film he made, rounded up a decent cast … Continue reading →

A wonderfully lived-in but melancholy lead performance is the best reason to check out “Curtis,” a simple yet affecting portrait of mental illness starring the Bayou dad of “Beasts of the Southern Wild.” Dwight Henry has the title role, a … Continue reading →

A warning appears on the screen before “A Mouthful of Air” begins, suggesting it might be “upsetting for for people with depression and anxiety.” And it’s not uncalled for. There’s a disquiet to the film and Amanda Seyfried‘s unsettling performance … Continue reading →

If this isn’t the way it was, it’s certainly the way it should have been. “King Richard,” the story of the working class Black man who raised and “created” the greatest players in the history of women’s tennis — Serena … Continue reading →

Humanizing a demonized “coach” and father and mentor is a novel approach. This story of the obsessive stage dad who raised Venus and Serena to be world beaters at tennis comes to theaters Nov. 19.