Review: Creed II
“I wouldn’t be surprised to see a Creed 2 hitting theaters by 2018.” That’s the last line of my 2015 review of Creed, the solidly entertaining spin-off of the Rocky franchise starring…
Review: Becoming Astrid
This lovely Swedish biopic tells the story of the challenging early life of Astrid Ericsson (Lindgren) who would go on to write the children's classic Pippi Longstocking and a slew…
Review: The Favourite
The Favourite was another of my top picks at The Middleburg Film Festival. England's Queen Anne was such a sad queen. But this period dramedy of the fight to be…
Review: Shoplifters
This film from Japanese director Hiorkazu Kore-eda (Nobody Knows) is a beautiful drama about what family means. I saw it at Middleburg, and it's stayed with me. The story is…
Review: Green Book
Who'd have thought that the director of Dumb and Dumber would bring us the best movie of 2018? With two great performances from Viggo Mortensen (Eastern Promises, Captain Fantastic) and…
Review: Can You Ever Forgive Me?
We're so used to Melissa McCarthy being the funny actress, that's it's hard to imagine her otherwise. But nobody's going to question her acting chops after her turn as Lee…
Review: Instant Family
Instant Family is an instant charmer. It’s a message movie that balances the funny with the feels and could very well raise critical awareness and interest in foster care and…
Quickie Review: The Girl in the Spider’s Web
To call this an adaptation is an insult to all other adaptations. I was wary when I read that another author was continuing "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" series…
Review: The Ballad of Buster Scruggs
This anthology film from the Coen Brothers will only be in a few big city theaters for a week before it begins streaming on Netflix. It's made up of six…
Review: El Ángel
Set in Buenos Aires in 1971, El Ángel is a true crime drama about a baby-faced teenage sociopath named Carlitos (Lorenzo Ferro) whose love for thievery blossomed into a passion…
Review: A Private War
You simply can't paint all journalists and all of journalism with the same broad brush. A Private War reminds us of that. The film follows the last ten years in…
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Mainstream Chick’s Middleburg Film Festival Download (2018)
Despite a few (hotel reservation and RSVP) potholes on the road to this year’s Middleburg Film Festival, all’s well that ends well! And what an ending it was. The closing…
Review: First Man
I love Ryan Gosling (La La Land, Drive, The Notebook). I love space dramas, and true stories, and American heroes. I’m a big fan of director Damien Chazelle (Whiplash, La…
Review: All About Nina
Nina (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) is a foul-mouthed comedienne in New York struggling to make her mark. And she's in a sick relationship with a married man. Something's gotta change. Her…
Review: The Sisters Brothers
It seems the western will never die. The allure of rugged men out there slinging guns and making their fortunes panning for gold was too much for French director Jacques…