Category Archives: Reviews, previews, profiles and movie news

“There is nothing new new in the world except the history you do not know,” Harry Truman said at the beginning of one of the more infamous wars on free speech in these “free” United States. That’s a big part … Continue reading →

May 8, Disney gets a little deeper into the Beatles business with Disney+ showing a newly-restored print of the making of their “Let It Be” LP. Lovely film. Haven’t seen it in years. Bully for them for helping get this … Continue reading →

Gaby Hoffman, McKinley Belcher III and Jeff Hefner also star in this six episode series coming to Netflix May 30. Note the interesting use of ABBA’s “SOS” to underscore what is at first alarming, then despairing, then sad and then … Continue reading →

There’s a noble tradition in the acting profession, and the indie cinema. When the work isn’t there, you create something for yourself worth starring in. It’s how Billy Bob Thornton and others made their own “big break.” There’s also a … Continue reading →

“The Idea of You” is a swoony screen romance that skates on the edge of a lot of “almosts.” A female wish fulfillment fantasy, it almost gets by on a little charm and a lot of acting effort by Oscar-winning … Continue reading →

“Down the Rabbit Hole” is probably the strangest feature film on Netflix at the moment, a twisted parable of an indulged, myopic childhood based on the acclaimed debut novella of Mexican author Juan Pablo Villalobos. “Fiesta en la Madriguera,” as … Continue reading →

“Checkmate” is an Argentine action that is una pelicula caseosa. Cheesy? It’s a picture that wouldn’t last past its opening credits without a never-ending parade of cliches, tired genre tropes and banal, over-familiar plot elements. It begins with the “retired” … Continue reading →

It might be based on a weathered, folksy and cheesy TV series of the ’80s, but every minute of the big screen version of “The Fall Guy” reminds us it’s a MOVIE movie, a spectacle. Break out the popcorn. An … Continue reading →

Few live action comedies mimic the lurid comic book style of Japanese manga as accurately or amusingly as “City Hunter,” a gonzo beat-em-up/shoot-em-up knife-fight riot based on the comic by Tsukasa Hôjô. “Kasane” director Yûichi Satô, action choreographer Takashi Tanimoto … Continue reading →

There isn’t much that would recommend “Scandal” to a cinephile who isn’t trying to finish off The Complete Works of Akira Kurosawa. It’s a sentimental, maudlin melodrama with comical flourishes, not as ambitious or epic as the director’s best work. … Continue reading →