Category Archives: Reviews, previews, profiles and movie news

Another holiday weekend, another failed holiday feel-good pic. It’s “Collateral Beauty” this weekend, another craven Oscar craving crash-and-burn starring Will Smith. At the screening I attended, there were studio representatives reminding people that they’d need tissues. But there were no … Continue reading →

Movies, even fairy tale adaptations, have taken to coddling kids — fretting more about offending than worrying if they’re challenging. “A Monster Calls” upends some of that conventional focus-group wisdom. Here’s a child’s fantasy that is as amusing as it … Continue reading →

As “Miss Sloane,” Jessica Chastain wears blood-red lipstick over the palest of masks of makeup. Stiletto heels have never seem more aptly-named. Her dresses and stockings are in commanding shades of black. She rattles off long, discursive riffs about  her … Continue reading →

So there’s love for the cast of “Captain Fantastic,” and star Viggo Mortensen, and the A-listers in front of the camera in “Hidden Figures.” Those are the two big outliers from the Screen Actors Guild Award nominations. Jeff Bridges was … Continue reading →

Now this is more like it. “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story” has fresh faces, fresh music, fresh tech and a fresh take on “Star Wars,” a rarity in this venerable franchise. It’s almost wholly satisfying — witty, warm and … Continue reading →

Whatever the “meaning” of “Collateral Beauty” — and the title is given an incomplete but understandable definition in the film — it is to be appreciated for the lovely people it captures in loving, perfect close-ups. As Will Smith’s mad … Continue reading →

The Golden Globes love them some Mel Gibson, and they’re thrilled to have the chance to welcome him back from the wilderness with nominations for his “Hacksaw Ridge.” Hollywood? Maybe. Maybe not. The 74h Golden Globe nominations show the Hollywood … Continue reading →

It’s fair if not entirely accurate to say everything funny about it is stuff you can see in the trailers and TV ads for “Why Him?” Because those samples aren’t the least big amusing, and there is a random laugh … Continue reading →

Little known fact. It wasn’t just daring or pluck that made the Wright Brothers “First in Flight.” It was math. The siblings checked the figures on the generally accepted numeric tables calculating lift and drag on wings, found them wrong … Continue reading →

Lord have mercy, what has become of the promising-on-paper Independent Film Channel, IFC? “Con Air.” “Dukes of Hazzard.” “Lethal Weapon” sequels ad nauseum. As I have complained on their Facebook page, there’s already a cable channel for crap “so bad … Continue reading →