Author Archives: Roger Moore

Netflix has this cute, woke activist Ryan Murphy musical comedy.

Sometimes, you have to wonder if anybody in Netflix acquisitions even bothers to look over a lot of the junk they buy. Sometimes, you realize that content providers know this and slide quick-and-junky projects in under the door that way. … Continue reading →

He’s pretty, she’s prettier, a gorgeous under-filmed Pacific isle location, a true story about a tradition of service members doing humanitarian work — “Operation Christmas Drop” has all the ingredients of a lightweight Christmas romance of the “fun for the … Continue reading →

“Just What We Wanted” is a compact and quietly compelling German drama about a couple teetering towards a break-up because of their desperate desire to have a child. Ulrike Kofler’s film, based on a Peter Stamm short story, wrestles with … Continue reading →

County music icon and national treasure Dolly Parton’s having a moment, thanks to being a paragon of tolerance and exemplar of COVID vaccine philanthropy. So there’s no being churlish about her new holiday Netflix musical, “Christmas on the Square.” None. … Continue reading →

What insipid, digitally-augmented elvish drivel is this? Rhetorical question, like asking “Who let the Dogs Out?” Because unimaginative kids’ comedy would be complete without A) a belch or two, B) fart jokes and C) a “zany” montage set to that … Continue reading →

“Ammonite” is an explicit and seriously sexy sex scene wrapped in a dull period piece that illuminates neither the characters nor the titular fossils that bring them together. It’s a fine acting showcase for Oscar winner Kate Winslet and future … Continue reading →

“Soul” is Pixar’s intellectually ambitious companion piece to “Inside/Out,” a whimsical “Outside/In” take on what makes us human. It’s comical, but not really a comedy, spiritual without being all that deep. But as it grapples with what drives a creative … Continue reading →

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 →