Review: Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. It’s Time To Look Forward.
Review: Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker A lot of pixels have been created and consumed about Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. Reviews covered the gamut of disappointment and joy, ambivalence and disavowal, frustration and release. Skywalker is not without its moments, but those moments get short shrift from director JJ Abrams in what seems […]
Review: Marriage Story
The complexities of relationships are the cornerstone of great filmmaking. The best writers can craft characters with enough tension, drama, and engagement they can just sit in a room and talk. Noah Baumbach penned and directed a simplistic approach to complex characters. Marriage Story shares the details of divorce between two imperfect people, Nicole and […]
Review: Ford v Ferrari
Ford v Ferrari brings us back to a time of great American innovation. Before we trusted computer algorithms and data analytics to build the perfect systems, we trusted the feelings of an expert. This film brings us back to understanding how the American drive to win can create the greatest stresses, but can also create […]
Review: Knives Out
Who really killed Harlan? Why would someone kill an old man on his birthday? Who wants his money? I suspect foul play… Knives Out is an updated whodunit, yet carries all the tropes of classic caper tales. This film captures the essence of the mystery genre while adding in comedy. The story centers on the […]
Review: Late Night is Emma Thompson’s (and Mindy Kaling’s} King Lear
Can I really compare the coming to grips with age story of a late-night talk show host with one of Shakespeare’s great plays? I can and I will. The serendipity in this Golden Age of content makes such a comparison possible. On a flight from Austin, TX to Seattle , WA recently I watched two […]
Review: Downton Abbey
Elegance and grace are standard and a bit of drama is required. Match that with royal expectations and you have yourself a great story! Downton Abbey revisits the Crawly family and their title estate. The film is based on the smash-hit series of the same name. Many television stories don’t make great movies, but the […]
Review: Official Secrets
What would you do for Queen and Country? In Official Secrets Kiera Knightly plays British intelligence specialist Katharine Gunn. She was a whistleblower during the early stages of the Iraq War. Katharine released a memo to the press after being tasked with listening in on conversations of UN Security Council members in order in influence […]
Review: Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood
There are very few things cooler than Brad Pitt driving a classic car. There are very few things more impressive than watching Leonardo DiCaprio play a character who is playing a character. And, there are very few things more satisfying than a fairytale ending. All and more are featured in Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood. […]
Review: Shazam!
Review: Shazam! Gomer Pyle’s catchphrase was “Shazam!” with a drawl. With DC’s Shazam! many joined the erstwhile private in uttering that phrase as the studio of dour and dark turns up the lights. Shazam! delivers a relatively family-friendly, and definitively family-oriented film with this campy Zachary Levi outing. In contrast to the ultimate hard knock […]
Review: Aladdin (2019)
Disney has become focused on recreating the magic of the Disney Renaissance through live action remakes of their animated classics. Aladdin, is the latest reimagining from the Mouse House. The plot hasn’t changed much from the original with the exception of a few new additions. Aladdin is a street rat who has become captivated by a […]