If there’s one thing that the movie industry knows how to do, it’s how to compare a new project to an old one. Often times, that means describing a new film as simply “Die Hard in a [blank].” Of course,… Read More ›
Reviews
Ethics and morals, ambition and purpose are examined in the tense, journalism thriller “September 5,” now on home video.
When creating a film about the morality and ethics of journalism, centering a story around the Munich massacre of 1972 is an inspired choice. September 5 (2024), co-written and directed by Tim Fehlbaum (The Colony), is a film about an… Read More ›
“The Monkey” is a blood-soaked laugh-riot.
Theo James, even when he’s good, such as in White Lotus season two (2022) or the ill-fated HBO adaption of The Time Traveler’s Wife (2022), has apparently been miscast his entire career until The Monkey (2025). Usually playing a George… Read More ›
Kinji Fukasaku’s fantasy actioner “Legend of the Eight Samurai” gets added to Eureka Entertainment’s “Masters of Cinema” series in a 4K HD restoration.
Trigger Warning: There are several sequences involving protracted strobing or flashing lights, so photosensitive viewers should take precautions before queuing up the film. According to Kenta Fukasaku, son of Kinji Fukasaku, the filmmaker’s 1983 action fantasy Legend of the Eight… Read More ›
“Captain America: Brave New World” isn’t brave at all.
I don’t need movies to save me. In a spiritual sense, one could say that they already have, but, in a literal sense, determined leaders do more for our quality of life than good art. Unfortunately, both are in short… Read More ›
The Criterion Collection helps critic Richard Brody and filmmaker Jean-Luc Godard show “King Lear” to the masses.
Jean-Luc Goddard’s King Lear (1987) is a great movie for nobody and is available on Blu-ray through Criterion on February 11th, 2025. Almost nobody, actually. It’s certainly a film for me, and for legendary film critic Richard Brody of the… Read More ›
Dark comedy “Timestalker” deconstructs tropes of love and romance.
As a child of the ‘90s, fantasy tales of romance have always felt like the coziest of blankets. Could it be that true love always won in the end? Or, having existed in a world filled with divorce, addiction, and… Read More ›
Is Shane Black’s comedic thriller “The Nice Guys” standard 4K UHD edition worth the upgrade?
For audiences of a certain age, writer Shane Black is an instrumental figure in their cinematic development. In the same year (1987) that taught us that “Wolfman’s got nards” (Monster Squad), he let us know that it’s ok to say… Read More ›
How can you plan “To Kill a Wolf” when foe and friend share the same traits? [SBIFF]
Trigger Warning: The narrative of To Kill a Wolf grapples with difficult topics involving sexual abuse. The two earliest written versions of the Little Red Riding Hood story come from author Charles Perrault (1697) and from The Brothers Grimm (1800s), each providing… Read More ›
Bring “Wicked” home in a stunning 4K Blu-ray loaded with special features.
Back in 2003, I had the pleasure (much like the rest of New York) of getting to see a new musical called Wicked. In the mind of this then-13-year-old, seeing a story about a misunderstood witch from the land of… Read More ›
“I’m Still Here” tells a narrative as relevant today as in 1970 Brazil.
Oscar hopeful I’m Still Here (2024) opens with where, when, who, and what’s it like. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. 1970. Eunice Paiva, the wife of a retired left-wing senator is on a beach as armored personnel carriers drive down the… Read More ›
Oscar-nominated documentary “No Other Land” deserves your attention and a distributor.
Content Warning for descriptions, images, and reporting on violent scenes of oppression, police brutality, and genocide. There are special movies, and then there are films that you’ll never forget. No Other Land, an on-the-ground account of a Palestinian West Bank… Read More ›
“Love Me,” a metaphysical tale of romance Or: How I Decided to Stop Worrying and Simply Love YouTube.
Trying to make a movie that is as adult while being not-so-on-the-nose as WALL-E (2008) is certainly a daunting task, and writers/directors Sam and Andrew Zuchero (10 Crosby) not only took on this challenge in their new film Love Me,… Read More ›
Jesse Eisenberg’s sophomore directorial feature, “A Real Pain,” is available on digital ahead of its physical release.
There’s this strange compulsion by many to respond to someone’s discomfort with “everyone has problems.” Whatever the intention, all it ever does is minimize what a person is feeling with the implication that “why should someone be feeling badly about… Read More ›
“Like Father Like Son” lacks tension in its attempt to challenge its audience.
Trigger Warning: Like Father Like Son utilizes frequent use of unexpected fast cuts with visual imagery accompanied by white flashes which may disturb photosensitive viewers. What makes a killer a killer? For centuries, this question has been asked by plebs… Read More ›
Documentary “Third Act” captures self-realizations and the discovery that they run generations-deep. [Sundance]
History can only be buried for so long before the truth comes out. This relates to large revelations (the purposeful attempts to control and reduce Indigenous populations through residential schools in the U.S. and Canada) and interpersonal discoveries that wield… Read More ›
“Studio One Forever” is a “Celebration of Life” for historic West Hollywood club.
It’s an important rite of passage for each generation to mourn the loss of the cultural norms and trends that defined its youth. Unfortunately, this mourning usually manifests as some iteration of the tone-deaf and demeaning phrase, “Kids today will… Read More ›
Beware the creature of the night who promises peace in “Touch Me.” [Sundance]
Trigger Warning: The narrative of Touch Me grapples with difficult topics involving sexual abuse and addiction. Additionally, there are a few brief sequences of light-strobing that might be difficult for photosensitive viewers. “And crawling on the planet’s face, some insects,… Read More ›
When the debt comes due, you’ll be singing the hymn of “The Devil and the Daylong Brothers.”
What is a soul worth? If one believes that it’s not a thing that can be manifested on its own, that comes to us naturally, or that it is a gift instilled in us by our creator, well, that’s three… Read More ›
Genre-hybrid “Running on Karma” gets a 2K restoration as it’s added to Eureka Entertainment’s “Masters of Cinema” series.
“You can’t take anything with you when you die, except your deeds.” – Lee Fun Yee (Cecilla Cheung) in Running on Karma Established in 1996 by director Johnnie To and frequent collaborator Wai Ka-Fai, production house Milkyway Image Ltd. would… Read More ›