For a movie that sounds like a gimmick, The Kid Detective is surprisingly moving, somber, and dark. It slowly crept up on me and took me by surprise. So much more and so much more moving than I expected. This … Continue reading
I was genuinely pleased (and surprised) at how effective a creepy little thriller What Lies Below turned out to be. I went in blind, just the cover art and a brief description to hint at things to come. And I … Continue reading
American Skin is an angry, powerful film that does suffer from being as subtle as a sledgehammer. Its capital M Message is heavy-handed and direct. But the film is also powerful, very well acted, and shot with a blunt economy. … Continue reading
One Night in Miami has the ambitious idea of placing four iconic African Americans in a motel room and letting the drama flow. Set in 1964 after Cassius Clay (soon to be Muhammad Ali) wins his heavyweight belt, he meets … Continue reading
I laughed fairly often at this scathing, brutal faux-documentary about the 2020 that we all know and hate. Hosted by an impressive list of actors playing fake talking heads, it takes a brutal, direct, and perhaps one-sided assault on the … Continue reading
Greenland is a terrible title for a low-expectation Gerard Butler disaster movie… that turned out to be better than I (or probably anyone) expected. The flick is out now on overpriced early rental and, presumably, theatrical release. I caught it … Continue reading
The Prom is a lot of things. It’s charming, it’s sweet, it’s condescending, it’s assured, it’s witty, it’s mean, it’s judgmental, it’s fabulous, it’s over-the-top, it’s a little long, it’s well-meaning, it’s confused, it’s assured, and its a little important … Continue reading
The Christmas Chronicles: Part Two is the kind of sequel that brings with it very low expectations, especially when the plot reveals itself. The original film – about a rock ‘n roll Santa played by Kurt Russel – was a … Continue reading
I wasn’t expecting anything when I rented Words on Bathroom Walls… all I knew about it was that it was an early post-closing theatrical release and that it starred Charlie Plummer who was just in the last movie I saw … Continue reading
I watched the Netflix movie All Together Now for one reason alone: it stars Auli’i Cravalho. The young actress played the voice of Moana in Disney’s animated film and she seemed like a bright, energetic presence in all the behind-the-scenes … Continue reading