Critical acclaim is a funny thing. Last year’s mega-flop “Transcendent” dealt Johnny Depp his 40th consecutive misfire and was uniformly dismissed by critics. But it also dealt with the question of artificial intelligence or “the singularity” in a way that felt—to this reviewer—interesting and at least somewhat unique. It showed that A.I. may not be something to…
Category: Mindless Mondays
Great Documentaries: “Kids for Cash” and “The Green Prince”
Two terrific documentaries to add to your list… Kids for Cash: This doc exposes a “tough on crime” judge for what he really is: perhaps a fraud, and definitely a destroyer of kid’s lives. At the same time he gained a reputation for being notoriously hard on juvenile offenders—sentencing them to juvenile detention centers and maximum…
Low-Key Crime Thriller Round-Up: “Starred Up,” “Blood Ties,” and “The Two Faces of January”
Not a lot of interesting movies have opened lately, so this Monday is as good a time as any to review some of the very last of last year’s crop. And why not kick things off with three low-key indie crime thrillers that are all worth a watch…to varying degrees… Blood Ties…This 70’s-set crime drama has an…
Series Finale Review of “Justified” PLUS Ranking All the Seasons
It’s an understatement to say that I’m sad to see “Justified” go. Longtime readers know that I was always a big fan of this show, its characters (particularly the “bad” ones), and author Elmore Leonard’s work in general. Plenty of other TV reviewers have called this “the death of the modern Western” but they said…
Movie Review: The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
Did the first “Exotic Marigold Hotel” really need a sequel? Of course not, but a movie hasn’t needed a sequel since Francis Ford Coppola made “The Godfather II” so I’m not going to hold Hollywood’s sequelitis against a well-made, uplifting film. In fact, I think this new trend of indie or modest film sequels (like the great…
TV Review: “Better Call Saul” the First Must-See Spin-Off in a Decade
As a general rule, TV spinoffs are not very good, and that is a generous way of saying that for every “Frasier” (the most literate sitcom in Broadcast history that I think is actually a better show than “Cheers”) there are five spin-offs that get cancelled after a first season. In fact, “Better Call Saul”…
Movie Reviews: “Red Army” a Buried Treasure Worth Seeking Out
“Red Army” is a documentary—-no, no, no, don’t lose interest just yet since this one actually has a great story and compelling characters who just so happen to be real—-about the infamous Russian hockey team that won them medal after medal at the Olympics during the 80’s, but it’s about so much more than that……
Movie Review: Home
A sweet but disposable movie that you will probably forget you watched before you walk fully out of the theater. What Works: “Home”‘s strong suit isn’t the jokes so much as the sentimentality. There are some really affecting moments towards the end, particularly involving the continuation of a rival alien species. The “villains” in this story…
Movie Review: Insurgent
A programmer of a different sort, but just as “The Gunman” goes through the motions except for some alive performances, the same can (kind-of) be said of “Insurgent” and really the whole “Divergent” series which is struggling to distinguish itself in the young adult adaptations department. It’s lively enough that you won’t fall asleep, but…
Movie Review: The Gunman
A programmer that I wanted to like more than I did. What Works: Sean Penn may be the exact right actor (at the exact right time) to play an action hero. He’s world-weary but intense, briskly intelligent but believably physical, and his “just doing this for the paycheck” detachment actually fits the role really well. Even…
Book Reviews: “Golden Son” and “Near Enemy”
Two very different sequels to science fiction hits—their predecessors “Red Rising” and “Shovel Ready” are already being shaped into movies—that largely continue their first installments quality (or lack thereof). Near Enemy by Adam Sternberg…The best thing I can say about this book (a continuation of the journeys of futuristic hitman Spademan in a dismal near-future…
Book Reviews: “Her” and “The Girl on the Train”
Two different domestic thrillers that are both England-set and both alternating between opposing female narrators, and that may be a lot of coincidences but these books are worth reading for entirely different reasons… The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins…By far the more well-known book of the two and it’s easy to see why…
Book Reviews: “Red Rising” and “The Peripheral”
It’s been too long since the last book reviews, so I’ll kick things off today with a pair of Sci-Fi novels (at least one of which is excellent) and roll out more book reviews later in the day… Red Rising by Pierce Brown…An excellent example of everything commercial science fiction should be, and it’s no surprise this…