“Minari” is a near classic of the timeworn “troubles on the farm” drama, a story of a family of non-farmers facing the whims of nature and the widening fracture in a marriage as they set out to work the land and grab The American Dream. It’s “Country” or “The Southerner” or “Jean de Fleurette” but […]
Movie Review: Korean Immigrants are tested by the American dream in “Minari”
As far as “fears” go, I typically prefer mysterious and unknown peril to frights shoved in my face, explained, back-storied and underlined. But that’s now how the “Wrong Turn” movies work. For twenty years these films have gotten good looking actresses and actors lost in America and the world’s fast-disappearing wild places, menaced by whatever […]
Movie Review: “Wrong Turn” leads to terror and torture porn on the Appalachian Trail
Title – Penguin Bloom (2020) Director – Glendyn Ivin (Last Ride) Cast – Naomi Watts, Andrew Lincoln, Rachel House, Jacki Weaver, Griffin Murray-Johnston Plot – Based on the true story of Australian family the Blooms and their relationship with a young Magpie they rescue months after their mother and wife Sam (Watts) loses the use […]
Film Review – Penguin Bloom (2020)
Off the wagon. So this is about four friends who all are high school teachers in Denmark. Over a 40th birthday dinner, one of them mentions a theory that all humans are born with a .05% alcohol deficiency in their blood. They decide to test this thesis by maintaining this level through the workweek. Now […]
Stay Drunk – Another Round (2020)
Locked Down (2021), Chiwetel Ejiofor, Anne Hathaway, Warner Brothers Locked Down has some memorable moments. Yet, overall, director Doug Limans romance/comedy about a couple’s attempt at a high-risk, high-stakes jewellery heist during the Coronavirus pandemic isn’t great. Starring Anne Hathaway, Chiwetel Ejiofor and Ben Kingsley; the most memorable scenes for me feature Kingsley and Ben Stiller. […]
LOCKED DOWN (2021): The Things I Liked…
Disney dropped a new trailer today (view below) for “Raya and the Last Dragon” (opening in theaters and streaming on Disney+ March 5), and last week screened 30 minutes of footage for select journalists. It’s very evident that the animation studio is doubling down on cultural diversity with the badass warrior princess from Southeast Asia.…
‘Raya and the Last Dragon’ Preview: Disney Unleashes Badass Warrior Princess from Southeast Asia
Justin Timberlake serves up a healthy slice of cinematic comfort food in this tender drama about an ex-con who befriends a social outcast.
‘Palmer’ Review: Justin Timberlake Is an Ex-Con Who Befriends an Abandoned Little Boy in Sweet Drama
Seven years ago, Cass was one of the brightest students in medical school, along with her closest friend, Nina. Then, after a rape scandal that involved Nina, they both dropped out. Fast forward to present day, Cass was a 30 years old, living with her parents, and single. During the […]
Movie Review: Promising Young Woman
Godzilla vs. Kong (2021), Rebecca Hall, Warner Bros. Pictures Eiza González, Alexander Skarsgård, Millie Bobby Brown and Rebecca Hall are the stars of new action/sci-fi/thriller Godzilla vs Kong. Directed by Adam Wingard; Godzilla vs Kong pits two of motion picture history’s greatest monster icons against one another. The fearsome Godzilla and the mighty Kong find […]
Hunter Schafer lays bare Jules’ side of things in an emotionally vibrant if narratively slight second hourlong special.
‘Euphoria’ Review: Jules’ Special Episode Ties Together a Tangled Romance — Spoilers
The 39 Steps was arguably Alfred Hitchcock’s most adventurous adaptation at the time that it was released. It’s based on the novel by John Buchan, published in 1915, which tells the story of Richard Hannay, played here by Robert Donat, who becomes embroiled in an international conspiracy on the dawn of World War II. For […]
Hitchcock: The 39 Steps (1935)
I didn’t like the book and I didn’t like the movie. I am so, so tempted to leave this review at just that one sentence but I know that would be a bit disingenuous since I am very much in the minority on this. So I’ll give you a slightly fuller picture and you will […]
“Sometimes I feel like I’ve seen everything that’s going to happen. And it’s a nightmare.” That line of dialogue from “Cherry” really sums up the new trailer’s vibe nicely. This emotionally dense and dark-looking Apple Original reunites Tom Holland with the MCU’s Avengers architects Anthony and Joe Russo. But rest assured, judging by our first […]
In May of 2015 journalist Matthew Teague wrote an essay for Esquire magazine titled “The Friend: Love is Not a Big Enough Word“. This deeply personal piece told of his late wife Nicole who had died from ovarian cancer eight months earlier. She was only 34-years-old. It told of the dignity and courage she showed […]
No faithful movie about the Holocaust is going to be an easy watch. But they have long served as powerful reminders of unbridled human evil and they have testified to the resilience and bravery of many who suffered and died as a result of the atrocities. The upcoming Serbian historical drama “Dara of Jasenovac” tells […]
First Glance: “Dara of Jasenovac”
Brothers Conor and Jake Allyn grew up Dallas, Texas and made frequent trips across the southern border into Mexico with their father. The many visits opened their eyes to a much different side of Mexico and ultimately helped inspire their new film “No Man’s Land”. This modern-day western uses a reverse migration story of sorts […]
REVIEW: “No Man’s Land” (2021)
About midway through Steve McQueen’s compact “Lovers Rock” is a scene sure to be written about in nearly every review you’ll read. Let’s just call it the “Silly Games” scene, a long ten-minute slow dance that encapsulates the entire movie. A room full of young West Indian men and women intimately dance to Janet Kay’s […]
Where do you go from here? So this is about a young couple (Vanessa Kirby, Shia LaBeouf). They go through a home birth that ends in tragedy. How do you even begin to cope with a loss like that? Now I knew a limited amount of information on this, just that it was getting a […]
In the Wake – Pieces of a Woman (2020)
I was not prepared for the extent to which Ingmar Bergman’s oeuvre would embrace the uncanny. He may not be a David Lynch, but where Lynch’s nightmares are often emphatically surreal, Bergman’s use of the dreamlike is more subtle, more psychological, and probably more Freudian – though not in the overly literal way that pop-Freudians […]
The Compleat Ingmar #20: The Silence (1963)
HBO is in early development on its next “Game of Thrones” prequel, a series adaptation of George R. R. Martin’s fantasy novellas “Tales of Dunk and Egg.” Variety first reported the news, adding, “The one-hour show would be based on the series of fantasy novellas by Martin, which follow the adventures of Ser Duncan the…
HBO Developing Next ‘Game of Thrones’ Prequel: George R.R. Martin’s ‘Tales of Dunk and Egg’