I’ve mentioned in other reviews how the most acclaimed films use ambiguity to their advantage; one sees what one sees, or wants to see, and the same circumstances can be interpreted in many ways. This is one of those films, […]
Continue reading »Category: Recent Releases
The Caine Mutiny Court Martial (2023) ☆ ☆ ☆
William Friedkin’s final film is a stark retelling of the famous Herman Wouk story and play. Rather than opening it up, to make it more cinematic (perhaps in the fashion of the similarly-themed drama A Few Good Men), the director […]
Continue reading »The Boys in the Boat (2023) ☆ ☆ ☆
Every few years a sports movie comes along to uplift audiences with a great story and a powerful message, which is almost always this — work together as a team and good things will happen. It worked for Hoosiers; it worked […]
Continue reading »Lift (2024) ☆ ☆ 1/2
For a while superhero movies were all the rage. Now I think it is a toss-up between creepy horror stories and shiny, slick caper movies like Lift. It seems everyone is making them these days, all attempting to find the coolest […]
Continue reading »The Equalizer 3 (2023) ☆ ☆ 1/2
I have liked each of the first two “Equalizer” movies, although I’ve never seen either the original television series or the new one. These first two movies have established ex-CIA guy Robert McCall (Denzel Washington) as a fastidious man with […]
Continue reading »The Beekeeper (2024) ☆ ☆
We’ve all seen action movies where the action is so unbelievable that any suspension of disbelief is impossible. I had thought action star Jason Statham had moved past this kind of sloppiness. Not so. The Beekeeper is action as its […]
Continue reading »Poor Things (2023) ☆ ☆
Some critics argue that the greatest art is defined by its ambiguity; that a film in which viewers can interpret things in myriad ways is more valuable and important precisely because of its many facets. Perhaps that is true, but […]
Continue reading »On Sacred Ground (2023) ☆ 1/2
When it comes to certain subjects a film can easily turn into a diatribe, a full-fledged political statement. Sometimes that’s fine; exposés like All the President’s Men and Spotlight are better for the agitation they cause in viewers. Yet sometimes hit-job storytelling […]
Continue reading »Wonka (2023) ☆ ☆ ☆
This is the third movie version of Roald Dahl’s book “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” all three having musical elements and, happily, all three being rather different than one another. I really enjoy the 1971 Mel Stuart musical; it improves […]
Continue reading »Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (2023) ☆ ☆
Yet another DC misadventure floats into and out of movie history with more of a ripple than a splash. The second, and almost certainly final, Aquaman adventure follows a similar path as the first one five years ago. Only, when […]
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