Film

STOP REMAKING ANIMATED CLASSICS As is too be expected, Tim Burton’s Dumbo has a beautiful and somewhat strange looking design and a disastrous third act. At times he captures a sympathetic and lovable flying elephant but the tinkering of the story is where this film goes awry. Maybe children who are new to this tale…

GAMBLING WITH FAMILY Rain Main is a heart-warming Hollywood tale that explores the relationship between a slick, fast-talking Lamborghini salesman, Charlie Babbitt (Tom Cruise), and his autistic, yet extremely gifted brother, Raymond (Dustin Hoffman). When returning to Cincinnati to attend the funeral of his father, Charlie is disappointed to find that his inheritance consisted solely…

THE MOVIE’S A MARVEL, BUT MARVEL HERSELF..? Is it possible to love a film — its great humor, excitement and surprises — but not the lead actress? Brie Larson plays Vers aka Carol Danvers aka Captain Marvel with all the moves necessary to be front and center in the Marvel Cinematic Universe — kicking, leaping,…

CASINO ROYALE It’s no doubt been quite some time, but you now get to revisit the outstanding Bond movie from 2006, Casino Royale. Adapted from Ian Fleming’s first novel, written in 1953, the hero is different from Marvel Comic-type superheroes and other slot-game characters like Top Cat, where you can get a free spiny. Produced…

ROUNDERS Watching a game of poker has always been appealing. When it comes to films based on poker, Rounders always appears at the top of the list. The 1998 movie focuses on two guys who travel throughout the country looking for high-stakes poker games in hopes of winning a significant amount of money to settle…

Y TU ROMA TAMBIEN Written, directed, photographed, and edited by Alfonso Cuarón (Y Tu Mamá También, Gravity) Roma is not only one of the best films of the year but the decade. There are so many things that I want to say about it, but I won’t hesitate to call it an artistic masterpiece. You…

A GOOD GAMBLE Remade from the 1974 film, The Gambler  (2014) is sure to keep you on the edge of your seat. Wholly different than the original, it sure has the needed charisma to do that. Made under the direction of excellent filmmaker  Rupert Wyatt, the script was reportedly offered to many top directors, including Martin Scorsese….

NOT SUCH A JOLLY HOLIDAY It may be sacrilege to slam an American classic — or rather, a made-to-be-foolproof sequel based on a classic film — but I’ll take my chances. While watching  Mary Poppins Returns I  found myself fidgety — which I knew could mean only one thing: I was bored. Very, very bored. This isn’t…

VICE FRAUD Watching the biopic  Vice  — written and directed by Adam McKay (The Big Short) — I found myself getting more and more irritated. Not because the film isn’t a brilliant exposé on one Dick Cheney but because Cheney is, in one simple word, a monster, one who got away with every single monstrous deed he…

SHE AIN’T KIDMAN From the opening scene of Destroyer there is a keen sense that something very different and extremely artistic is upon us. Karyn Kusama’s modern noir, aided by the sharp eye of her cinematographer Julie Kirkwood, paints amazing pictures by using a multitude of long shots capturing a sun-drenched, gritty Los Angeles in…

BOXED IN Written by Eric Heisserer (adapting Josh Malerman’s novel), the plot of  Bird Box  may be reminiscent of A Quiet Place, but instead of one sound being your death warrant, it’s another sense here that will get you killed — the sense of sight.   If you see creatures, who for some unknown reason have invaded the…

BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY WILL MORE THAN ROCK YOU Even before production began, this film has had controversy attached to it: Sacha Baron Cohen was originally attached to play Freddie Mercury, but dropped out when he realized the producers were aiming for a PG rating, skimming around Mercury’s hedonistic lifestyle. Since 2010, actor changes, story changes, and…

BRADLEY COOPER — A STAR REBORN The first A Star Is Born (1937) tells of aspiring actress Esther Blodgett (played by Janet Gaynor) who impresses an alcoholic matinee idol Norman Maine (Fredric March). Esther gets her first big break in Norman’s next picture (and a marriage proposal from the smitten Mr. Maine). The movie’s a…

A CELEBRATION OF LIFE ITSELF Writer/director Dan Fogelman is currently represented on TV with his creation This Is Us, which follows two parents and their three children, born on the same day as their father. Now entering its third season, the NBC show takes place in the present but also utilizes flashbacks so we see…

A FILM ABOUT A BOY WHO LOSES HIS WAY LOSES ITS WAY White Boy Rick — written by Andy Weiss along with Logan and Noah Miller — is based on true events. It’s set in the 1980s in Detroit when the city, rife with corruption on every level, is at the height of a crack…

JENNIFER GARNER KICKS SERIOUS BUTT — UNFORTUNATELY, THE MOVIE DOES NOT I have nothing against escapist entertainment. Every film I see does not have to be deep or meaningful in order for me to enjoy it. However it does have to be interesting with well-developed characters and a somewhat believable plot; Peppermint has none of…