Category: 2024
“Road House’ Film Review: An 80s Classic is Defamed
Immediately setting a bland and unoriginal tone in only its first five minutes, the new Amazon release, Road House, is an insipid remake of Rowdy Harrington’s 1989 cult classic. Former good director Doug Liman seems to have set out to
‘Palm Royale’ Series Review: Good Cast Drowns in Gaudy Excess
The new Apple TV + series, Palm Royale, has a visual style so sunny and candy-colored gaudy that it makes the recent Barbie movie look like David Lynch’s Eraserhead. The show captures the garish clothes, jewelry, and furniture of 1969
‘Manhunt’ Miniseries Review: A Dark History Well Told
The dramatically intriguing new Apple TV+ miniseries Manhunt, is a smart and well done parallel of Secretary of War Edwin Stanton and murderer John Wilkes Booth in the aftermath of President Abraham Lincoln’s assassination. Stanton is steadfast in his desire
Lawrence Kasdan: An Acute Perception of a Generation
Lawrence Kasdan is a smart filmmaker. A dedicated student of cinema, Kasdan began his career as a uniquely adventurous and successful genre-hopping screenwriter who had quite the incredible run as director, beginning with the critically acclaimed 1981 erotic thriller, “Body
‘Wicked Little Letters’ Film Review: A Wicked Little British Tale
Thea Sharrock’s Wicked Little Letters is an occasionally uneven yet engrossing picture anchored by a marvelous cast. Written by Jonny Sweet, this is a piece that gives vulgar fire to a style of film that is known for being gentle
‘Monster’ Film Review: A Profound Work From a Modern Master
Society has long had a complicated relationship with the truth. In these times of undisguised deception, the world (especially America) now lives in a time where what actually happens means less than how it is presented. The way we think,
‘Born to Fly’ Film Review: Thrilling Fun Above the China Skies
While there are similarities, comparing director Xiaoshi Liu’s Born to Fly (Chang Kong zhi wang) to Tony Scott’s 1986 box office hit Top Gun is unfair. Scott’s film featured cartoonishly phony characters tripping over insipid dialogue while the filmmaker tried
‘Polar Rescue’ Film Review: Donnie Yen In the Performance of His Career
Donnie Yen is one of the great legends of Martial Arts Cinema. His performances in Hong Kong treasures such as 1993’s Iron Monkey and 2005’s Kill Zone showed he had versatile acting talents that went beyond his martial arts skills.
‘Silver Haze’ Film Review: The Destructive Force of Pain
While writer-director Sacha Polak’s new film may be dramatically overcrowded, “Silver Haze” is an occasionally effective motion picture and a perceptive piece that captures the rhythms of those who live with personal trauma. An intense Vicky Knight is “Franky”, a
‘They Shot the Piano Player’ Film Review: Vibrant Animation Gives Way to Uneven Story
As a medium, film gives audiences a chance to explore stories and characters they might not normally gravitate toward. Much like food, film brings us together in unique ways of life that are intrinsic to human nature: its vibrancy in