“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…
Category: Monday Morning Movie Reviewer
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….
“Ladybird” is One of the Year’s Best Films
Greta Gerwig pulls off a stunning achievement with “Ladybird,” which at first looks like a strong coming-of-age story, but might actually be the first epic about millennial life…[Richard Linklater’s “Boyhood” might actually have this title, but Ellar Coltrane is only 23 years old and may actually be too young to be considered a millennial.] What…
Movie Reviews of “Mudbound” and “Wheelman”
A pair of Netflix original films that are worth a watch in one case and one of the year’s best in another… Mudbound…Most films about racial tension in the Southeast take place during the 1860’s Civil War period and the slavery days right before it or the daily insults of segregation during the Civil Rights-era 1960’s (every…
Movie Reviews: “Daddy’s Home 2” Vs. “Bad Moms Christmas”
Which unnecessary sequel to a broad hit comedy shoehorned into the holiday season will win out? Wellllllllll, the similarities between them are uncanny (they have basically the same ending, and even the promise of a Vegas-set spin-off), and it’ll largely be a matter of taste in which one you like better. “Bad Moms Christmas” is…
“LBJ,” “Murder on the Orient Express,” “Victoria & Abdul,” “Only the Brave,” “Thank You For Your Service”
Five films currently in theaters, some of which I actually really liked… LBJ…Has there been a more underrated President than Lyndon Baines Johnson? One of my Top 5 favorite Presidents has had his legacy universally tarnished by Vietnam—a war that baby boomers must think is still going on judging by how their response to Trump…
Reviews: “Thor: Ragnarok,” “Foreigner,” “Geostorm,” “Suburbicon,” “Mountain Between Us”
All films currently in theaters for a nice change of pace, but not ones sufficiently exciting enough to give their own reviews to… Thor: Ragnarok…Is Marvel paying film critics? It’s a persistent theory among both DC fans and adults with good taste who wonder why Marvel product keeps getting rubber-stamped? How does a film like…
“Transformers: Whatever,” “The Wall,” “Despicable Me 3,” “Dean,” “Lowriders”
A grab bag of Summer 2017’s also-rans, but don’t worry folks, later today they’ll be no less than 10 other movie reviews of films currently in theaters… Transformers: The Last Knight…Have you ever wished that a “Transformers” film could be longer, make less sense, feature Anthony Hopkins in one of his most pitifully slumming it…
Movie Review: Blade Runner 2049
An experience that really should be seen on a big-screen, even if it appears a lot of audiences are taking a pass on doing so… What Works: I was pretty much dead-against a sequel to “Blade Runner” (the director’s cut of which has one of the most debated endings of all time), and even if “Arrival”…
Movie Review: The Meyerowitz Stories (New and Selected)
One of Netflix’s starriest original film outings yet with Ben Stiller, Adam Sandler, Emma Thompson, and Dustin Hoffman all taking part in Noah Baumbach’s story of an aging sculptor and his grown children, played by Elizabeth Marvel, Sandler, and Stiller (who has a different mother than Sandler’s character, and there’s some resentment over the difference…