Category Archives: Reviews, previews, profiles and movie news

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 →

We are all heroes of our own story. And if we’re white and Southern, some of us are happy to throw in a little Tennessee Williams-styled “martyr” to the tale. Netflix and Ron Howard serve up a lot of both … Continue reading →

“Blindfire” is the (fictional) story of a deadly police shooting that sets out to demonstrate such situations are “complicated.” But as it tells its story from the “troubled” cop’s point of view, the film’s problematic agenda clashes with its clumsy, … Continue reading →

If you can look on homeless person and not instinctively turn away, you know the last thing this human condition needs is sugar-coating sentimentality. Everybody in that situation has a story and none of them are pretty. So a homeless … Continue reading →

Nicolas Cage is — hands down — the best, most-committed and most-fun voice actor in animated films today. Fight me. His hilarious, empathetic and occasionally gonzo turn made the cave-family comedy “The Croods” a surprise delight back in 2013. Credit … Continue reading →