Tag Archives: film

Movie Review: Buster Keaton in a “Minions” comedy by Terry Gilliam? “Hundreds of Beavers”

We tend to think of slapstick comedy gag writing as a lost art. It didn’t die along with Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin, but its most acclaimed practioners these days are in animation, heirs to the Chuck Jones/Looney Tunes tradition. … Continue reading

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Movie Review: A “Gump” sized Gimmick in Search of a Movie — “Here”

“Here” is such an empty cinematic experience that it summons up everything you ever hated about a Robert Zemeckis movie and the Zemeckis “style.” An Oscar winner with enduring classics scattered across his resume — “Cast Away,” “Back to the … Continue reading

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Movie Review: Liam in Winter — “Absolution”

Any grace notes 70something Liam Neeson brings to his aging and about to become infirm man of action in “Absolution” are pretty much overwhelmed by cliches, loose ends and overreaches in a sloppily pieced-together screenplay. Character motivation and the hasty … Continue reading

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Movie Review: Ralph Fiennes tries to Herd Back-Stabbing Archbishops through a Papal “Conclave”

A pope dies and over 100 of his archbishops gather to politic, poor-mouth, backbite and backstab their way towards electing another in “Conclave,” a deliciously dark, well-acted and beautifully-filmed inside-Vatican-intrigues thriller. Director Edward Berger (“All Quiet on the Western Front”), … Continue reading

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Movie Review: Actress fights cancer, heartbreak and career setbacks, including “Your Monster”

What manner of miscalculated meshuggagh mashup is this? “Your Monster” is a “personal demons” rom-com take on “Beauty and the Beast,” one with the beast willing to offer to “eat” the creep who jilted fair Laura when she was diagnosed … Continue reading

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Classic Film Review: Boris and Bela in Old Edinburgh — “The Body Snatcher” (1945)

Censored and edited to death and long thought “lost” in its original form, “The Body Snatcher” is a 1945 horror tale that retains its ability to chill you to the bone. Produced by horror impressario Val Lewton (“Cat People”), directed … Continue reading

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Classic Film Review: Was “Caligula” (1976, ’79, 2024) as bad as we remember?

No matter how scorned by one generation of film critics and/or filmgoers, once a movie is finished and preserved for all time there’s always a chance of “rediscovery” and reevaluation by film fans of the future. “Lost” films come back … Continue reading

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Movie Review: Dinklage and Brolin as twin “Brothers?” With Glenn Close as their armed robber Mama?

Whatever laughs are inherent in a caper comedy pairing up Peter Dinklage and Josh Brolin as twin lowlife thieving siblings caught up in “one last job” that involves their thieving mama (Glenn Close), Oscar winners Marisa Tomei and Brendan Fraser, … Continue reading

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Movie Review: “Found Footage” gives us a glimpse of the witch they call “Beezel”

The 60 year witch-haunts-a-house story “Beezel” seems to have been kicked around a bit before Epic got hold of it and gave it a streaming release. That’s a shame, because this creepy, low-budget horror tale certainly passes the “Well, I’ve … Continue reading

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Movie Review: Jackie Chan finds fun in his “Panda Plan”

In “Panda Plan,” Jackie Chan finally remembers that there’s nothing sadder and more boring than an aged action star who turns to endless gunplay in his fragile, creaky-joints dotage. It’s a rough and tumble martial arts comedy of the sort … Continue reading

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