Category Archives: Reviews

Relentlessly bloody, stupidly long and laugh-out-loud funny, “Yakuza Apocalypse” is as good an introduction as any to the warped samurai sword stylings of Takashi Miike. He is Japan’s Tarantino, a gonzo genre specialist who mashes up yakuza (gangster), swordfighting and … Continue reading →

If there’s one phrase guaranteed to chill a movie studio executive to the marrow, it has to be “passion project.” Because for every one of those that pays off at the box office, the disasters are the ones we remember. … Continue reading →

“Big Stone Gap” is an old-fashioned, cornball country comedy made endurable by some sharp dialogue and efforts to go easy on the corn. It’s set in the small town that provides its title, a remote corner of the Virginia mountains, … Continue reading →

Of all the scary guys Michael Shannon has ever played — sociopaths, murderers, hell, even General Zod in a Superman movie — none is more frightening that his character in “99 Homes.” Because Richard  “Rich”Carver is a villain we know, … Continue reading →

Of all the crimes against civilization committed by those Islamic barbarians, the Taliban, none is more telling than their attempted assassination of a teenage girl. And the reason they wanted and still want her dead? Because she dares to stand … Continue reading →

Stanley Milgram explored why so many underlings and ordinary citizens of the Nazi regime might have willingly, or reluctantly, “just followed orders” in carrying out the Holocaust. His “Obedience Experiment” became one of the most influential psychological trials in history. … Continue reading →

Closing in on his 72nd birthday, with decades of Rolling Stones documentaries and interviews behind him, Keith Richards can be excused for repeating himself. Just like your dad, or granddad, he’ll trot out the old stories with a little prodding. … Continue reading →

“Sicario” is a conventionally unconventional drug wars thriller, a well-cast, breathlessly executed peek into the heart of a Trumpian nightmare of Mexican cartels which kill at will on either side of an embattled border. This Denis Villeneuve (“Incendies,””Enemy”) film has … Continue reading →

Epic, majestic, breathtakingly detailed, thrilling — all words that have accurately described the film ouvre of Ridley Scott over the decades. When your directing resume includes “Blade Runner,” “Gladiator” and “Alien,” that’s a given. But “The Martian” manages a new … Continue reading →

Here in Los Estados Unidos, there’s usually a clear boundary between cartoons for kids and what we’d call “adult entertainment.” So this Mexican cartoon, in Spanish with English subtitles, is racy enough to count as a bit of culture clash. … Continue reading →