Glenn Close became a major star in the 1980s but has had trouble finding great roles since then, which is why she moved into made-for-television movies, cable series and theatre work in between movie assignments. She is a tremendous actress […]
Continue reading »Category: Recent Releases
Puzzle (2018) ☆ ☆ ☆
I enjoy small-scale independent films when they are tightly written, well acted and have something to say about humanity. Puzzle is a perfect example of how to do it well. The film follows Agnes (Kelly Macdonald), an unfulfilled housewife and […]
Continue reading »Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation (2018) ☆ ☆ ☆
The Drac Pack goes on vacation — on a tropical cruise, no less — in this third Hotel Transylvania entry. It is silly stuff, but still has its charms. It could have been completely mindless comedy, but the writers have worked […]
Continue reading »Mamma Mia!: Here We Go Again (2018) ☆ ☆ 1/2
I really enjoyed the first Mamma Mia! film a decade ago, even with the vocal limitations the cast brought to the project. It was an energetic, joyous show filled with great music and a real sense of love. The sequel, which […]
Continue reading »The Meg (2018) ☆ ☆
I love shark movies, and I’ve been looking forward to this one for a long time. The mere idea of carcharodon megalodon is exciting, if terrifying, to me, and I’m amazed that no major movie until now has ever dared to […]
Continue reading »The Equalizer 2 (2018) ☆ ☆ 1/2
Denzel Washington doesn’t do sequels. Until now. Actually, that is rare, these days, in an actor of his stature, and quite admirable. I’m sure he took the role of Robert McCall again because this story delves into McCall’s past, helping […]
Continue reading »Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018) ☆ ☆ 1/2
Marvel’s presentation of the superhero Ant-Man (Paul Rudd) in the few movies in which he has appeared denotes, to my mind, the best and the worst of the genre. The best is a highly clever, sometimes hugely entertaining adventure with […]
Continue reading »Three Identical Strangers (2018) ☆ ☆ ☆ 1/2
I’m not a big documentary fan; I seem to prefer made-up stories, ones that can be manipulated to make points or showcase action that documents that reflect real life rarely can. But many documentaries find aspects about our world that […]
Continue reading »Leave No Trace (2018) ☆ ☆ ☆ 1/2
This quiet little film surprised me with its depth and perception, especially after I hated the director’s earlier drama, Winter’s Bone. Here, psychological tension simmers beneath the surface in most every scene, yet it is kept in check rather than exploited. […]
Continue reading »Deadpool 2 (2018) ☆ ☆
For years I have railed against bloated action movies with incessant destruction, annoying characters and gratuitous violence, especially if the tone is that the violence is comic, unreal or unimportant. Deadpool 2 is such a movie. Most of the time it […]
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