“Lion” — A Powerful First Act Soon Turns into Treacly Oscar Bait
JANUARY 9, 2017 I can’t remember the last time I saw a movie in which the hero is a computer app. That fact may be the most unique thing…
Film Review
Reviews of big budget Hollywood films
Familiarity Breeds Tedium in “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story”
JANUARY 3, 2017 Does anyone else feel that going to the latest “Star Wars” movie these days is like attending a family reunion? You know you have to go…
“A Monster Calls” — The First Giant Tearjerker That Features a Real Giant
JANUARY 2, 2017 2016 was a big year at the movies for troubled children and imaginary giants. There was Steven Spielberg’s disappointing creature saga “The BFG” and David Lowery’s…
Kenneth Lonergan’s “Manchester by the Sea” — One of the Year’s Very Best
DECEMBER 23, 2016 Every morning, Lee Chandler (Casey Affleck) wakes up in his subterranean flat in Quincy, MA to spend his day shoveling sidewalks & scrubbing toilets in his…
Denzel Will Earn Your Applause, and Viola Will Break Your Heart in August Wilson’s “Fences”
DECEMBER 20, 2016 Denzel Washington faced a very big decision when he agreed to direct the film version of August Wilson’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play, “Fences.” He could either “open…
As the Worst Movie of 2016, Please Consider the Absolutely Preposterous “Collateral Beauty”
DECEMBER 19, 2016 As the year at the movies was coming to a close, it was becoming increasingly likely that the execrable March release “Batman v Superman: Dawn of…
“Moana” Proves To Be a Very Different Kind of Disney Princess
DECEMBER 9, 2016 When it comes to winning the Oscar for Best Animated Feature, Pixar films have pretty much owned the category over the past decade, winning six times…
Brad Pitt and Marion Cotillard Evoke Movie-Star Glamour in the World War II Romance “Allied”
DECEMBER 8, 2016 “Allied” opens with a spectacular overhead shot of a sand dune in the Sahara Desert. Suddenly, two legs move into frame, and we watch as a…
Hailee Steinfeld Shines in the Unexpectedly Wonderful “The Edge of Seventeen”
DECEMBER 1, 2016 Sometimes you just never know where a good movie is coming from. For months now, I’ve been perusing the “Coming Attractions” wall of posters at my…
For a Film With So Much Frenzied Action, “Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them” is Somehow…Dull
NOVEMBER 30, 2016 After a two-week break for Thanksgiving and an enormous move from our house after 22 memorable years, we’re back! In the interim, the nation’s multiplexes have…
