Category Archives: Reviews, previews, profiles and movie news

  Oh hummus, you Dionysian dip delight, you magical combo of chickpeas, garlic, tahini, lemon juice, olive and salt. Is there any meal that wouldn’t be improved by the Original App, a little delicious dab daubed on pita bread? Is … Continue reading →

John Weld was a journalist, screenwriter, novelist and Ford dealership owner whose life is lightly skimmed over in “The Remarkable Life of John Weld,” a documentary based almost entirely on recreations of all the famous people he met, befriended, loved … Continue reading →

Director Zhangke Jia gave us “Still Life” and “A Touch of Sin,” but earlier he expressed a fondness for gangster tales. Nothing in this trailer — she meets him on the dance floor, he drops his gun, revealing his hidden … Continue reading →

There’s a “don’t overthink this” watchability to “Miss Bala,” the Hollywood remake of a lean-mean Mexican gangster movie about a beauty queen coerced into doing a drug lord’s murderous bidding. Don’t give too much thought to the rapid transition the … Continue reading →

The lifelong horrors of childhood abuse hide in plain sight in “Beneath the Leaves,” a more tricky-than-interesting thriller that might outsmart itself if it was any smarter to begin with. It’s got kids who survive trauma and try to make … Continue reading →

In the larger scheme of things, the fact that a musical interrupted by tragedy came together for opening night isn’t the most important or telling story about the massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. But if … Continue reading →

Professional MMA fighter with biceps the size of Sequoias wakes up next to a dead woman, a “one night stand.” He’s black. She’s white. No, it doesn’t look good. Not to the cops, not to his “alibi” girlfriend, not to … Continue reading →

That would be this one. No, Mister Johnson, I am not a big fan of the Fast and Fatuous films. But a promising, two-fisted buddy action comedy? I could see that. Especially with these three and Idris as the self-described … Continue reading →

There’s a half-joking cliche about a phrase directors over-use on the sets of big screen comedies. “Again. But faster.” Comedy is about timing, and speed and pacing are a big part of that. And no comedy about running, even if … Continue reading →

The difference between “The Lego Movie” and “The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part” is the distance between “love” and “like.” Because although it has a delightful DIY feel, more of “This is how kids with imagination PLAY with Legos,” … Continue reading →