Category Archives: Reviews, previews, profiles and movie news

“Yucatán” is a colorful, cute Spanish con artist comedy set on a cruise ship. But like even the most entertaining cruise vacations, it is stuffed with long, dull passages in between destinations. Overly complex, and layered with musical production numbers … Continue reading →

The cleverest thing about the laugh-every-two-minutes comedy “John Bronco” is that nobody involved tried to stretch this extended sketch of an idea into feature film length. It’s just 38 minutes of everybody’s favorite vice principal, Walton Goggins, he-man drawling, preening … Continue reading →

Actor turned director Justin Baldoni, best known for TV’s “Jane the Virgin,” has staked out a unique corner of filmdom as his behind-the-camera specialty. Dude makes weepers. “Five Feet Apart” on the big screen, the doc- series “My Last Days,” … Continue reading →

A true story, a February movie musical.

If you’re missing “The Good Lord Bird” on Showtime, you’re missing one of the epic TV events of the fall. Ethan Hawke and Mark Richard’s seven episode take on James McBride’s picaresque novel about the run-up to the Civil War, … Continue reading →

Christmas.

So, what can we learn about Malaysia from today’s “Around the World with Netflix” offering, the action comedy “All Because of You?” For an Islamic country with laws against homosexuality, their cinema isn’t above making sissy jokes. That part of … Continue reading →

She was the wittiest of professional contrarians, breathlessly passionate about each new love, venomously vituperative about each offense to her cinematic sensibilities. Pauline Kael was film criticism’s original “hanging judge,” the critic’s critic in a pre-Internet age when there were … Continue reading →

Think a Sandler-esque “Tag” with lots of swearing.

The chief failing of your average horror collection is often such a movie’s greatest strength. Getting a coherent look and theme out of an anthology is a bear when you’re dealing with many directors, productions crews and “visions.” A “VHS” … Continue reading →