Two great documentaries that most political junkies will probably love. Although the subject matter is fairly different (for political docs), there are some overlaps in that both are about honorable civil servants trying–and mostly failing–to do the right thing in the face of a rising wave of political ignorance and hostility. The Final Year…This documentary…
Category: Monday Morning Movie Reviewer
Movie Reviews: “The Incredibles 2,” “Ocean’s 8,” “Adrift,” “Life of the Party”
Four films that don’t really have a lot in common except that they feature women in prominent roles and that I don’t really love or loathe any of them enough to want to write a several-paragraph full review… The Incredibles 2…Really, truly, completely nowhere near as good as the original. I’ve probably watched the first…
Movie Reviews: “Solo,” “The Titan,” “Hotel Artemis,” “Upgrade”
Sci-Fi fans have no shortage of options these days, so you might have to be pretty hard up to see these mostly so-so offerings. We’ll move from worst to first… Hotel Artemis…A great example of a movie that shouldn’t exist. This movie isn’t clever, it isn’t original, it isn’t particularly well-constructed nor well-directed nor well-written,…
Movie Reviews: “The Tale” vs. “Paterno”
HBO has had two TV movies deal with the difficult subject of child sexual abuse but in very different ways. “The Tale” is more experimental (and much more personal), zeroing in on the abused in a shockingly intimate way, while “Paterno” takes a broader, docu-drama approach to covering the after-effects of abuse and the real…
Movie Reviews: “Book Club” Vs. “Deadpool 2,” Vs. “I Feel Pretty” Vs. “Avengers 3”
For no real reason other than I was kind-of bored, I decided to just review all four of these movies against each other. Who will come out on top? It’s surprisingly difficult since they’re all pretty close in quality… Book Club…Judging by “50 Shades Freed,” a movie about 70-year-old women reading “50 Shades of Grey”…
Movie Review: “First Reformed” is Terrific
For those lucky enough to see Paul Schrader’s “First Reformed” this past weekend (and it’s only in 4 theaters currently so it might take a while to reach you) you’ve seen the type of film Alabama Liberal might make if he stumbled onto a financier with lots of money and no immediate need to see…
Movie/TV Review: “Fahrenheit 451” (the Book) is More Relevant Today than Ever
Coming out only 4 years after George Orwell’s more famous “1984” was published, Ray Bradbury’s “Fahrenheit 451” isn’t given nearly as much credit as it deserves for predicting the future. Although a debate has raged about whether Huxley’s “Brave New World” or Orwell’s “1984” is the more prescient work, I actually think “Farenheit” deserves to be (at…
Movie Review: “Tully”
“Tully” is a movie that almost hit too close to home for me. The Charlize Theron character may be a little more similar to myself than I’d like to admit, and I can’t say that about the vast majority of parenting movies. What Works: For the majority of “Tully,” we watch quietly realistic scenes building towards…
Quick Reviews: “Ready Player One” vs. “Rampage”
I watched these movies a while ago now, but thought about them so little that I forgot to review them. Not a great sign, but one is clearly better if you’re looking for dumb-assed blockbuster entertainment and can’t get tickets for “Infinity War,” “A Quiet Place,” “Deadpool 2,” “Pacific Rim 2,” damn there’s been a…
Movie Review: Beirut
Tony Gilroy’s cerebral, complex thriller is a perfect antidote for the Springtime blues. People used to talk about how dumb movies were in May and June, but Summer is now year-round which is why supposedly quieter months like February, March, and April have had Sci-Fi/Fantasy CGI-blockbusters opening nearly every weekend. “Beirut” is actually more at home opening…
Movie Review: Go See “The Death of Stalin”
Go see this movie. I almost don’t even want to discuss it with anyone until they’ve watched. Seriously, don’t watch a trailer. Don’t look up a cast list. Just go in cold, and be grateful you did, and know that the tonally-misleading title makes it sound like much, much more of a “sit” than it…
Movie Review: Isle of Dogs
Sometimes, trailers are quite deceptive for movies, but this is an occasion of truth in advertising. I can’t say the trailer is in any way deceptive of what this movie is–so watch it, and if you’re excited, you should go see it. If you hate it, then odds are slim-to-none you’ll enjoy this… What Works: For sheer, pound-for-pound…
Reviews: Red Sparrow, Tomb Raider, Unsane, Game Night, A Wrinkle in Time
By using five random reviews I’m able to properly explore how Rotten Tomatoes rewards mediocrity. Although they usually evaluate great films correctly—which a blind pig could do, honestly—most movies don’t live in the space of “greatness” or “terrible.” The vast majority of movies are between a C- and B+ grade and Rotten Tomatoes routinely gives…