Quickie Review: Mayor Pete (documentary)
Mayor Pete is a fairly conventional behind-the-scenes documentary that provides some insight into what makes Pete Buttigieg tick-- but not much. The biggest mystery to me is why it is…
Review: Once Upon a Time in Venezuela
This immersive documentary was seven years in the making. It takes place in Congo Mirador, a small village bordering Lake Maracaibo in northern Venezuela. At one time it was a…
Review: Where’s My Roy Cohn?
There’s something inherently distressing and depressing – and more than a little scary - about the documentary Where’s My Roy Cohn? The title is taken from a 2018 quote attributed…
Review: Meeting Gorbachev
As a Werner Herzog über-fan, I'm always excited by the opportunity to watch anything he's involved with, since he usually has a thoughtful and thought provoking view of the world.…
Review: Long Shot
Seth Rogen comedies tend to be hit or miss for me. Long Shot straddles the line, eeking out on the side of okay, though somewhat disappointing given the tremendous buzz…
AFIDOCS Reviews Part One
Another Year at AFIDOCS. Four days of back to back documentary films in Washington, DC (and Silver Spring, MD, though we stayed downtown this year.) We've been going since 2014…
Mainstream Chick’s Quick Takes: Office Christmas Party; Miss Sloane; Jackie; Lion
Comedy. Drama. Suspense. History. Politics. Lots to choose from at the box office this weekend. And it’s all pretty good, even awards-worthy. Except for Office Christmas Party. That one’s just…
Two-fer review: Burnt and Our Brand Is Crisis
Burnt is a foodie flick. Brand is a political flick. Burnt stars the eminently watchable Bradley Cooper as a brilliant but temperamental chef struggling to make a comeback after battling…
Lee Daniels’ The Butler
LD’s The Butler is one of those movies that shames you into thinking it’s better than it is because it features an all-star cast and tackles some poignant themes relating…
The Iron Lady
Meryl. I think she deserves to be known by one name by now. What an actress! What an amazing variety of roles she has played in the past few years:…
The Ides of March
The Ides of March is a decent adult drama, but it’s also a depressing commentary on the state of our political system. It doesn’t really matter if you’re a republican,…
Casino Jack and the United States of Money
Not to be confused with the Casino Jack with Kevin Spacey opening today, Casino Jack and the United States of Money is a documentary, which examines the rise and fall…