Paul Thomas Anderson once again returns to the San Fernando Valley in the 1970s — however, unlike his previous film set there, Boogie Nights (1997), his latest effort, Licorice Pizza, is a gentler and hazier movie that rests its heart on its sleeve in numerous ways. The year is 1973, and fifteen-year-old […]
Licorice Pizza (2021)
The Dope
Still working our way through season three of Succession, which continues great. Every now and then a sense of burnout looms, what with all the characters being nasty pieces of work/shit, but then it reinvigorates itself miraculously — episode 5 was incredible. And episode 6 implies that the series could eventually get a bit serious. […]
The Dope
C’Mon C’Mon (2021)
Want to know the fastest way one could possibly convince me to see a movie? Just tell me that it’s an A24 film starring Joaquin Phoenix. This dream pairing of my all-time favorite production studio and my all-time favorite actor was destined for the spotlight. Well, at least it was destined for the spotlight among…
C’Mon C’Mon (2021)
Holiday Classics: “Penny Serenade” (1941)
When I first became interested in classic film, I’d stalk the forums on tcm.com in an attempt to seek out movies to watch. Anytime the subject of tearjerkers came up, it seemed like the first and most discussed movie was a film that would likely have otherwise flown under my radar: the 1941 drama “Penny Serenade,” directed […]
Holiday Classics: “Penny Serenade” (1941)
“BEING THE RICARDOS” (2021)
“Luuuuuucy… I’m Home.” Probably one of the most timeless, classic … that is still uttered today. But behind the scenes of not only the “I Love Lucy” show itself, but the marriage between Lucy and Desi itself, was a very tumultuous relationship. This is the story of one week in the lives of these two […]
REVIEW: “BEING THE RICARDOS” (2021) Amazon Studios
Review: Nightmare Alley
Nightmare Alley is Guillermo del Toro’s followup to his surprise Oscar winner The Shape of Water. It serves as both a remake of the 1947 film noir of the same name and a new adaptation of William Lindsay Gresham’s novel from a year earlier, with the beloved filmmaker delivering […]
Review: Nightmare Alley
“The Lost Daughter” (2021)
Not every person is equipped to become a parent. It’s a duty of a lifetime that must be carried out without flaws. Yes, no one is perfect. But the one who considers themselves to be one can easily become distanced from their own flesh and […]
Film Review: “The Lost Daughter” (2021)
Infinite
Antoine Fuqua’s Infinite is a sci-fi action flick that imagines a world of reincarnated souls where a group of people called Infinites have the ability to remember their past lives. Within this group, there are two subgroups; the “believers,” who view their ability as a gift, and “nihilists” […]
4K Ultra HD Review: Infinite
Zola (2020)
Zola (2020) Y’all wanna hear a story? Perhaps this is simply what happens when you turn a Twitter thread into a movie. Zola, the film’s origin lies in a 148-tweet thread posted by Zola the person — A’Ziah ‘Zola’ King — in October 2015, detailing a wild, chaotic road trip from Detroit, Michigan to Tampa, […]
Zola (2020)
SATAN IN HIGH HEELS (1961)
Satan in High Heels is a 1961 American film about a carnival burlesque dancer who goes to New York and gets a job and at a high-class club. She becomes the mistress of the wealthy owner but then seduces his son and causes a murder. Directed by Jerald Intrator from a screenplay written by John […]
SATAN IN HIGH HEELS (1961) Reviews and free to watch online
News from Catland
The Benedict Cumberbatch cat movie is better than the Benedict Cumberbatch dog movie, in our view. Not just because the dog movie has no dogs, just shadow that looks a but like one, whereas the cat movie has actual cats, lots of them, some of which speak to us via subtitles, but because the cat […]
News from Catland
Musical Masterpiece: Steven Spielberg’s “West Side Story”
I remember the first time I saw “West Side Story.” I watched the 1961 film during class at my Catholic elementary school decades later — on a square TV on a rolling cart — and it was transformative. I immediately loved the music, choreography, dancing, characters, and storytelling. I watch that version from time to […]
Musical Masterpiece: Steven Spielberg’s “West Side Story”
The Last Rite
We haven’t had a good old-fashioned exorcism for a while, so Leroy Kincaide’s British take on the familiar genre, released via Samuel Goldwyn in the US, seemed worth a shot; the trailer features most of the staples, and several elements seem to be lifted directly from 1973’s The Exorcist. It’s a crisply shot film to […]
The Last Rite
The Father Who Moves Mountains (Tata mută munții)
A crowd pleaser with a vibrant Hollywood vibe to it, which can also meet the high standards of any movie buff. After debuting with his outstanding feature film One Step Behind the Seraphim (2017), director Daniel Sandu offers us another movie which strongly states that something is changing in Romanian filmmaking. The approach, the style, […]
The Father Who Moves Mountains (Tata mută munții)
MOVIE REVIEW: Don’t Look Up
Let’s go straight to granting a measure of consent. Punch everything with satire, Adam McKay. Punch everything you can. Split our ears, raise our eyebrows, and lay every bit of shame and blame in front of any intended targets you choose. The attacks are warranted and […]
New from Every Movie Has a Lesson by Don Shanahan: MOVIE REVIEW: Don’t Look Up
Tick, Tick… Boom! (2021)
Miranda displays a colorful sugar rush of showbiz rapture and solidarity while employing every little tool in the movie-musical toolbox. Lead actor Andrew Garfield logs a solid performance as usual, with an arsenal of energy…
Tick, Tick… Boom! (2021)
Shut Up, Crime! – Super (2010)
With the darkness. So this is about an everyday guy named Frank (Rainn Wilson). His wife (Liv Tyler) is a recovering addict and starts to cozy up to a drug dealer (Kevin Bacon). When Frank loses her completely, he turns to God for direction, and because he is not the most mentally stable person, he […]
Shut Up, Crime! – Super (2010)
7 New Netflix Shows in December and the Best Reasons to Watch
1. “The Witcher” Season 2 (available December 17) Why Should I Watch? It’s been two years since Henry Cavill cast his spell on the world, and the titular Witcher’s long-awaited return to Netflix is finally upon us. I’m going to be honest: I do not remember much about this show. Twenty-four months — especially these…
7 New Netflix Shows in December and the Best Reasons to Watch
Here Are the 2021 Nominations of the Washington D.C. Area Film Critics!
The Washington D.C. Area Film Critics have announced their nominees for the best of 2021! The winners will be announced tomorrow so that means you have exactly one day to see all the nominees. GET TO IT! Best Film Belfast The Green Knight The Power of the Dog tick, tick…BOOM! West Side Story Best Director […]
Here Are the 2021 Nominations of the Washington D.C. Area Film Critics!
Blu-ray Review: Malignant
After switching gears and directing the comic book movie Aquaman, Warner Bros. has allowed James Wan to return to his low-budget horror movie roots with Malignant, an absolutely gnarly little film that I’m honestly impressed the studio even agreed to put out. Wan, who has kickstarted no less […]
Blu-ray Review: Malignant