Wicked
I’ll refrain from calling the film ’wicked good,’ as the hype may drive expectations a bit too far. But it is fair to say that Wicked is faithful to the…
Thelma
I’m late to the party on this nonagenarian action-comedy, but better late than never! June Squibb (Nebraska) is an absolute gem as Thelma Post, a feisty 93-year-old grandmother who falls…
We Live in Time
Time is fleeting; and so is memory where this romantic drama is concerned. It simply did not stick with me. In fact, I struggled to remember the title within minutes…
Conclave
Ever wonder how a new pope gets elected? Conclave seeks to pull back the curtain on the ancient, covert affair. On the surface, watching a bunch of sequestered Cardinals bickering…
Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story
Christopher Reeve got me out of jury duty. Long story short, I had interviewed Reeve by phone a few years after he was paralyzed in a freak horse-riding accident. He…
The Substance
Women age, but rarely gracefully in the eyes of our celebrity obsessed public. A wrinkle here, a gray hair there, and we're relegated to the dustbin in favor of the…
Green Border (Zielona granica)
Agnieszka Holland is one of Poland's most distinguished directors with multiple Oscar nominations. Her most famous film is probably Europa Europa, set in WWII-era Poland. In it the protagonist is…
How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies
I haven't seen many (any?) films from Thailand, but this one has apparently been a "runaway hit" in East Asia, so I thought I'd give it a go. The tale…
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice
…Beetlejuice. And just like that, he’s back! Michael Keaton steps back into the iconic horror-comedy bio-exorcist role he possessed in 1988 under the direction of the supernaturally imaginative Tim Burton.…
The Falling Star (L’étoile filante)
This droll French comedy caper is from Abel & Gordon, the writing/directing/acting duo behind one of my favorite films from a few years back, Lost In Paris. It begins with…
Between the Temples
Between the Temples is a quirky little melodrama tinged with dry humor and a 1970s aesthetic that is sure to conjure up Bar and Bat Mitzvah memories for people of…
The Vow from Hiroshima
Last year's mega-hit Oppenheimer had people celebrating the invention of the Atomic Bomb and its destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Nothing was said of the civilians on the ground in…
The Instigators
You cast a couple of very bankable star leads and a strong contingent of other big name actors in cameos, and you start with a pretty good premise. And then,…
Deadpool & Wolverine
This one's easy. Have you seen Deadpool, Deadpool 2, Wolverine, Logan and various other X-Men flicks, the Avengers movies, "Loki" (on Disney+), etc.? Did you know that studio buyouts made…