Category Archives: Reviews, previews, profiles and movie news

Classic Film Review: Reckless Pilot Peck makes a WWII Trek across “The Purple Plain” (1954)

Posted on December 15, 2024 by Roger Moore

By the time he made “The Purple Plain,” Gregory Peck had already made a film that touched on the fear and emotional toll of air combat in World War II — 1949’s “Twelve O’Clock High.” But the text of that … Continue reading →

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Movie Review: Once more to Middle Earth, before “The Lord of the Rings,” “The War of the Rohirrim”

Posted on December 14, 2024 by Roger Moore

“The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim” is a dull placeholder pic rolled out by Warner Animation to keep the company’s intellectual property rights to J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle Earth current in the public’s mind. Streaming series aside, … Continue reading →

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Movie Preview: A comedy about an attempted insurance claim killing — “Trigger Happy”

Posted on December 14, 2024 by Roger Moore

Not a name in the cast — Elsha Kim, Tyler Poelle, Zak Steiner et al. But the tone seems…relatable. Jan. 14.

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Movie Review: Krap on a kracker? “Kraven the Hunter”

Posted on December 14, 2024 by Roger Moore

Aaron Taylor-Johnson gets gym-jacked one more time, Russell Crowe auditions for a future Ernest Hemingway at his burliest bio-pic and Alessadro Nivolla trots out the silliest supervillain voice since John Malkovich in “Rounders” for “Kraven the Hunter,” a misguided mess … Continue reading →

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Netflixable? A TSA agent is blackmailed into letting somebody’s “Carry-On” slide by

Posted on December 14, 2024 by Roger Moore

The “talking villain” is played by Jason Bateman. So as you might guess, he damned near talks us all to death. The scenario is within the realm of possibilities, but juiced and dragged-out with so many eye-rolling “Hollywood” twists that … Continue reading →

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Movie Preview: The offspring of killer Dermot Mulroney frets over “Like Father Like Son” warnings

Posted on December 13, 2024 by Roger Moore

Dylan Flashner stars in this Jan 31 release, the son of a murderer on death row (Mulroney). Ariel Winter, Vivica A. Fox and Mayim Bialik (as a therapist) also star.

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Movie Preview: Christoph Waltz is the “Old Guy” clinging to a career he’s aged out of — Hit Man

Posted on December 13, 2024 by Roger Moore

Yes, another hit-man/hired-killer/”trigger-man” action comedy, this one with the Oscar winning Waltz as an AARP assassin. “We’re going younger, across the board” is something no legitimate employer could get away with “announcing” in this day and age. Lucy Liu and … Continue reading →

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Netflixable? Jolie as Callas, “Maria,” a Diva at Death’s Door

Posted on December 13, 2024 by Roger Moore

“Maria” is an operatic bio-pic in every sense of the word. In director Pablo Larraín’s vision of “La Callas,” the diva’s diva Maria Callas, there is tragedy off-stage but serenity in the spotlight, an artist wholly prepared and fully immersed … Continue reading →

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Movie Preview: After Society’s Collapse, a better-late-than-never sequel — “28 Years Later”

Posted on December 13, 2024 by Roger Moore

Cillian Murphy returns to the role that made his name, Danny Boyle returns to the “universe” that made him big box office. Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Jodie Comer and Ralph Fiennes do the heavy lifting. Are we far enough removed from “The … Continue reading →

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Classic Film Review: An anti-war parable that became a landmark of Japanese cinema — “Ugetsu” (1953)

Posted on December 12, 2024 by Roger Moore

“The value of people and objects truly depends on their setting,” the potter Genjurô tells a noblewoman and patron at one point in the classic film “Ugetsu,” a Medieval fantasy based on the “Rain-Moon Tales” of 18th century writer Ueda … Continue reading →

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