Hostiles…This Scott Cooper-directed Western is certainly better than his overrated last film “Out of the Furnace,” but perhaps not the second-coming of “Unforgiven” many viewers (like this one) may be hoping for. After a violent opening scene in which most of Rosamund Pike’s family is slaughtered, we soon settle into a slower rhythm in which…
Author: Alabama Liberal
“The Fact of a Body” Made Me Pro-Death Penalty, Whoops…Plus “American Fire” and “Killers of a Flower Moon”
Quick book reviews of three very different crime books… The Fact of a Body by Alexandria Marzano-Lesnevich…Lesnevich was an anti-death penalty advocate who found herself surprised that she wanted child-murderer Ricky Langley to die. The more she digs into the case, the more she begins to sympathize with Langley, but the opposite was true for this reviewer….
Quick Documentary Reviews: “Obey Giant,” “Too Funny to Fail,” “A Gray State,” “The Farthest”
Four different documentaries about creators… Obey Giant…Shepard Fairey is a street artist I hadn’t heard of much before his iconic Obama “HOPE!” poster, and this is a quick bibliography of his most famous works and a little context for them. It’ll tell you everything you ever wanted to know about Fairey, and is perhaps necessary…
Quick Reviews: Detroit, Bushwick, Stronger, American Assassin, Lady Macbeth, Ingrid Goes West, The Glass Castle
7 films of wildly varying quality that you can now pick up on DVD and in “Bushwick”‘s case stream on Netflix… Bushwick…A director’s triumph as most of this pivotal event (in which Bushwick is invaded by mysterious black-clad soldiers) unfolds in flowing, technically-astounding long takes. Anyone who enjoyed the climax of “Children of Men” or…
Movie Reviews: “Bright,” “The Darkest Hour,” “The Greatest Showman,” “Just Getting Started”
Some honest-to-God current movie reviews on Alabama Liberal. Will wonders never cease?… Bright…I’m increasingly unsure what to do with Netflix movies, since I’m starting to feel like the fact that they’re basically free (included with subscriptions) and convenient (I did not wear clothes while watching this movie) is really affecting my grading system. Am I so happy…
Quick Reviews: “A Ghost Story,” “Personal Shopper,” “Boomtown,” “Trumped,” “American Jihad”
Some very depressing films about ghosts, hard times in rural America, American-born Jihadists, and—scariest of all—Trump’s “surprise” election to the White House, which looks a bit more like a nightmare every day…[On the wish list of all Trump’s supposed down and out, blue collar voters probably wasn’t “Gee, I hope he ends net neutrality so…
Movie Review: Is “Star Wars: The Last Jedi” a Subtly Regressive Movie?
“Let the past die. Kill it, if you have to.”–That the major villain of this movie (referring to both the Jedi and the Sith) says this is actually coded language against the small minority of viewers that would probably rather see something original than one more “greatest hits” version of 1978’s original “Stars Wars,” the surprise smash…
Movie Reviews: “Justice League,” “Roman J. Israel,” “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri”
Three big theater offerings that may disappoint more than thrill… Justice League…A week after watching this movie, you may ask yourself: “Who is the villain in this movie?” “What exactly are Aquaman’s powers and how does talking to fish help him defeat aliens?” “Why did Ben Affleck look so over this?” “Why did Superman look…
Quick Reviews: “The Hero” “Little Hours” “Band-Aid” “Maudie” “Columbus” “Whose Streets” “Norman”
Some final reviews of indie character studies (some are gems, others not) before delving into films currently in theaters that more people care about… The Hero…In a just world, the great Sam Elliot would be a serious Best Actor contender for what is some of his finest screen work here. In the world we live…
Documentary Reviews: “Score,” “Saving Capitalism,” “Citizen Jane,” “Eagle Huntress,” “The Great Beyond”
Some quick documentary reviews before getting to films currently in theaters… Score…If you’ve ever been interested in movies about a film’s musical composition, this may be of interest to you. However, I wish they’d spent a little more time getting into the details of film composition. It’s more a cliff-notes history of famous film scores…
Quick Reviews: “Spider-Man” “War for Planet of the Apes” “Pirates 5” “Kidnap” “Dark Tower”
Five summer “blockbusters” that—“War for the Planet of the Apes” excluded—really weren’t even trying to be stimulate the mind, but in the case of one that isn’t necessarily a bad thing… Spider-Man: Homecoming…Michael Keaton’s villain has “it” all over tween Spider-Man (Tom Holland, looking about 12) and his creepy uncle Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr….
Of course, Mitch McConnell (and the GOP) is Relieved Roy Moore Lost
Don’t get me wrong, I’m thrilled Doug Jones bested Roy Moore in Tuesday’s senate race, although I’m not quite as surprised as most people that he did considering how unpopular Roy Moore is in Alabama (losing the primary the last two times he ran for Governor, and not even making the run-off in 2010). Sure, some people…
Democrats Think Franken Resigning Will Pressure GOP, Because Democrats are Stupid
Don’t get me wrong, Democrats have been my party for my entire life and probably will continue to be so unless something drastic changes in the GOP’s regard to income inequality, abortion, healthcare, always taking the side of the powerful, corporate donations, and especially environmental issues. Still, asking Democrats to plan and execute a successful…