Author Archives: Roger Moore

We toss the phrase “Kafkaesque nightmare” out whenever we or someone we hear about is buried under the impersonal, uncaring bureaucracy of government. But what does that really imply? It denotes a solitary human, a “citizen,” trapped in the maw … Continue reading →

Dennis Quaid plays a crusty, rummy old salt forced to help kids win a cash-prize fishiny tourney so that they can save their orphanage in “Blue Miracle,” a “true” tale of Cabo San Lucas. OK, “true-ish.” Cute? Certainly. Cloying? Sometimes. … Continue reading →

“Good Funk” is an indie drama told in a series of sketches, interconnected lives facing a gentrifying Red Hook (Brooklyn) with despair, frustration and vague hope. There’s not much to it, but like its title, it’s a character study with … Continue reading →

Well, none of us are as young as we once were. This July 23 thriller is about a family that ages rapidly during a summer trip. Ask anybody about vacations at Disney World.

There’s just enough off-the-wall stuff in Michael P. Blevins’ “Digging to Death” to suggest “horror comedy” might have been the intention here. I mean, it’s about a newly-divorced guy (veteran bit player Ford Austin) who decides to replace the septic … Continue reading →

A little horror from IFC Midnight? Why yes, thank you.

“The Great War of Archimedes” is World War II history with a twist — several twists. It’s about mathematics, an “Imitation Game” and “Fat Man and Little Boy” tale of a lone genius whose calculations, estimating the “real” cost of … Continue reading →

“Ahead of the Curve” tells us the story of Frances “Franco” Stevens and her founding of the glossy magazine “Curve,” which started life as “Denueve” in 1991. A slick, sexy, hip and politically assertive magazine of the “Cosmo/Vanity Fair/GQ” school, … Continue reading →

Today’s “Around the world with Netflix” adventure is a half-amusing, somewhat brash and certainly chatty, loud and in-your-face Brazilian con-man comedy. “Get the Grift” or “Os Salafrários” is sprinkled with lively moments that translate across cultures, characters and a plot … Continue reading →

The “Maleficent” inspired “Cruella” begins with a murder and settles, eventually, into a tale of revenge. Starring two Oscar winners, each dazzlingly on her game and laboring to make a fun night out of this back-engineered take on how Cruella … Continue reading →