Category Archives: Reviews, previews, profiles and movie news

We can tell, in an instant, that “The Truth” is going to be a lot less consequential than writer-director Hirokazu Koreeda’s previous film, the Oscar-nominated “Shoplifters.” That had crime and mystery and side of Japanese life that few filmmakers there … Continue reading →

There’s a little Kanye cray cray at play in this Aug. 7 release. Pop/hip hop star with delusions of grandeur gets bent when peace breaks out BEFORE his big charity concert. And he –Jay Pharaoh — ain’t having it.

On July 31, Scottish director Kevin Macdonald’s 2012 documentary “Marley” returns to theaters and streaming to celebrate what would have been the Jamaican reggae singer/songwriter’s 75th birthday. Check your local art cinema website to see if they’re showing it. Below, … Continue reading →

Hey, whoa, the horror movies of August, amIright?

Early August, the fun and the fear come to light.

You can’t grade movies on the curve, as much as filmmakers wish you would. It’s all about story, and characters and performance and entertainment value. Budget, “degree of difficulty” getting it made don’t matter. But if they did, that might … Continue reading →

They don’t carry around that California fear of “The Big One” in Japan. Earthquakes have always been a fact of life, and what we see on the news and from experts there shows a resolve, an ability to live with … Continue reading →

Wide-eyed Lucy Hale takes her shot at a rom-com wrapped in a sex farce with “A Nice Girl Like You,” whose title gives away the game, and its central failing. The “Pretty Little Liars” pixie, most recently seen in the … Continue reading →

World War II GIs are sent to hold a remote French chateau, and confront the ghosts of those the Nazis murdered there — and maybe a few demons of their own — in “Ghosts of War.” The temptation is strong … Continue reading →

The South African novelist J.M Coetzee adapted his own allegorical novel for Colombian director Ciro Guerra. Not a bad cast — Robert Pattinson, Johnny Depp, Greta Scacchi, Gana Bayarsaikhan and Mark Rylance. Look for this one Aug 7.