Review: Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
I wish I could say I was a ‘Tarantino fan’. But sadly, I am not. Mostly because I’m generally squeamish when it comes to violence, and decidedly traditional when it…
Review: The Mountain
Set in the 50s, The Mountain is the story of Andy (Tye Sheridan, Ready Player One), a directionless young man. Early in the film his father dies and he meets…
Review: The Farewell
In this bittersweet dramedy based on a real story from the writer/director's own family, Billi (Awkwafina, Crazy Rich Asians) a struggling New York writer discovers that her Grandma (Zhou Shuzhen)…
Review: Yesterday
Quick – try and recite the lyrics to Eleanor Rigby ("picks up the rice in the church...") Not so easy, is it? Imagine having to recount the music and lyrics…
Quickie Review: The Third Wife
Set in a remote compound in 19th century Viet Nam, The Third Wife is a beautifully shot story of a young girl's journey from childhood to marriage to motherhood. It…
Review: Late Night
Late Night is a solid workplace comedy that fluctuates between really smart and funny, and just okay. That unevenness may limit its success at a crowded box office, though it…
Quickie Review: The Fall of the American Empire (aka La chute de l’empire américain)
I stumbled into watching The Fall of the American Empire because I thought my podcast partner would surely want to talk about it, since he’s usually the one to champion…
Review: Souvenir
When 20-something Julie (Honor Swinton Byrne) meets somewhat older Anthony (Tom Burke) at a film school party early on in Souvenir, you know exactly what their relationship will be all…
Quickie Review: Pasolini
Italian poet, philosopher and filmmaker Pier Paolo Pasolini loved nothing more than to push the envelope, to scandalize, to shock the senses. So it's only fitting that Abel Ferrara (Bad…
Review: Rocketman
This one took some serious rumination, because as much I would love to say I loved Rocketman, I can only say I liked it. I’m still thinking about it though,…
Review: MA
My oh Ma! What a departure for Octavia Spencer, playing a lonely, twisted woman in a teen horror flick. The Oscar-winning actress (The Help, Hidden Figures) commands the screen -…
Review: Non-fiction (aka Doubles vies)
After seeing Non-fiction, I found IMDB's description of it to be kind of bizarre: Set in the Parisian publishing world, an editor and an author find themselves in over their…
Review: Booksmart
Ever dream of a high school do-over? Wonder what you might have done differently in those final years of anxious adolescence? Booksmart tackles the what-ifs in a smart and entertaining…
Quickie Review: A Dog’s Journey
A Dog’s Journey is for dog/animal lovers. It’s a continuation of the heartwarming saga that got us all misty-eyed in the 2017 doggie drama A Dog’s Purpose. In this sequel,…
Quickie Review: Working Woman
This Israeli #MeToo drama centers on Orna (Liron Ben-Shlush) whose husband's new Tel Aviv restaurant is struggling to get off the ground, so she takes a job with real estate…