Category Archives: Reviews, previews, profiles and movie news

Movie Preview: Netflix reminds us of the Evils of Nazism — “All the Light We Cannot See”

Netflix has had very good luck with World War movies, mostly made abroad. This three part series, set in WWII France, is about a blind radio operator speaking out about the darkness of fascism, and a German soldier witnessing this … Continue reading →

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Movie Preview: Sofia Coppala’s “Priscilla” gives us another side of the Elvis saga

They didn’t use words like “groomer” way back when. But if this isn’t the most famous case of it — ever — I don’t know what is. Cailee Spaeny has the title role. Aussie Jacob Elordi is The King….who liked … Continue reading →

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Netflixable? A Hallmark Card from Oz, “Love is in the Air”

“Love is in the Air” is an an inane and scenic romance from Australia, a “Hallmark Movie” is all but name. This Netflix release is an old-fashioned “fish out of water” comedy that’s rarely comic, a city boy/gal from the … Continue reading →

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Documentary Review: A Legend Reflects on an Ending Career and Life Winding Down — “Joan Baez: I Am a Noise”

Joan Baez wrapped up her 60 year career as a folk music icon and very public global civil rights activist with a 2019 show in Madrid, an exclamation point at the end of decades of thrilling, often landmark performances, protests … Continue reading →

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Movie Preview: Julia Roberts, Ethan Hawke, Mahershala Ali and Kevin Bacon bring “Leave the World Behind” to the screen

This paranoid sci-fi thriller, based on a hit novel by Rumaan Alam, comes to theaters in Nov. and then Netflix Dec. 7. “Mr. Robot” veteran Sam Esmail makes his feature film debut directing this, with BBC “Industry” star Myha’la Herrold … Continue reading →

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Movie Review: Is “Grieve” a student film? Asking for a friend

There are a lot of telltale signs that “Grieve,” a pretentious, cryptic and childishly obscurant title loosely labeled as “horror” and inexplicably picked up for distribution by Terror Films, might be a student film. I try not to review student … Continue reading →

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Netflixable? A murder mystery filled with suspects who slither — “Reptile”

“Reptile” ends with a few delicious twists and such a satisfying punch that it’s a shame we have to talk about “Netflix editing” again, that lack of cutting that makes even a pretty smart and dense thriller play like a … Continue reading →

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Documentary Review: A Charming Prehistory of The Beatles, and The Quarrymen who didn’t quite make the band — “Pre Fab!”

Before the band that would Change the World became The Beatles, the template for all rock quartets to follow, they had a floating lineup of many musicians of varying talents, generally taking the stage with six members. In addition to … Continue reading →

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A Winter Garden (Fla.) Premiere of “Pre Fab!” a tale of the pre Beatles Quarrymen

My old friend Todd Thompson, an Orlando filmmaker who struck gold with a Nichelle Nichols doc “Woman in Motion” that every “Star Trek” fan saw, is back with a Beatles before they were The Beatles film. His doc “Pre Fab!” is … Continue reading →

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Movie Review: Savage and Stylish Serial Killer Thriller from Hong Kong — “Limbo”

“Limbo” is a darker-than-dark Hong Kong serial killer thriller in the “Se7en” mold — formulaic, but brutish and bleak and bloody-minded. Veteran director Pou-Soi Cheang (the “Monkey King” action pics were his) shows us a Hong Kong rarely seen on … Continue reading →

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