It is stunning to me that historical events of one hundred and fifty years ago can still resonate as contemporary drama, but such is the case with Free State of Jones. The struggle of anti-slavery Southern folk to resist the all-consuming […]
Continue reading »Category: Recent Releases
The Legend of Tarzan (2016) ☆ ☆ ☆
I have fond recollections of the 1930s Tarzan movies with Johnny Weissmuller — though not the later versions with Ron Ely, Mike Henry, Jock Mahoney, Lex Barker and Gordon Scott, most of which I skipped. More recent versions of the […]
Continue reading »The BFG (2016) ☆ ☆ 1/2
Although Steven Spielberg is my favorite film director, I would rather he not spend his time on children’s fantasies like Hook, The Adventures of Tintin and this film, which features a young girl being kidnapped by a giant in jolly England. […]
Continue reading »The Shallows (2016) ☆ ☆ 1/2
I always look forward to shark movies, hoping that eventually one will rival Jaws (my second favorite movie of all time). None have come close. The Shallows seemed to have potential, but it falls short in terms of delivering real scares […]
Continue reading »Genius (2016) ☆ ☆ ☆
Lots of movies have been made about writers and writing, but relatively few get into the nuts-and-bolts detail of editing raw prose into the stuff we actually read in books and magazines. Most movies rely on the blank page to […]
Continue reading »Independence Day: Resurgence (2016) ☆ ☆
It’s been twenty years since aliens attacked Earth in the first Independence Day, a movie I felt was rather dopey at the time. I’ve seen it several times since then, and I have developed a respect for it. It’s still dopey, […]
Continue reading »The Nice Guys (2016) ☆ ☆
I have to admit I was sort of looking forward to this; I like both of its stars, and Shane Black, despite his penchant for excess, still holds a place in my heart for Predator. Since then he has turned into […]
Continue reading »The Lobster (2015) ☆ 1/2
I’m all for originality in new movies because it is usually in short supply. And yet, some premises are just so odd that they don’t transfer into good cinema — and this year seems ripe for mainstream films trying to […]
Continue reading »Love and Friendship (2016) ☆ ☆ ☆
Love and Friendship is based upon a Jane Austen novella with which I am unfamiliar, “Lady Susan.” Evidently an early work, it has been adapted into plays before, and now an amusing feature film. Its primary asset is the character […]
Continue reading »X-Men: Apocalypse (2016) ☆ ☆
More superheroes, more fighting among themselves, more mayhem. Surely American filmmaking has more to offer than this. Not that this is all bad; Bryan Singer’s film, the eighth, I believe, in Marvel’s X-Men universe, offers a great deal of action […]
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