Damien Chazelle’s latest film has been called many things: grotesque, overlong, indulgent. But there’s a difference between an indulgent film and a film about indulgence. BABYLON, set in 1920s Hollywood, opens hard with graphic bodily functions, and though those burners never fully extinguish, it’s the hardest the film goes for some time. A deliberate message: […]
Reviews
THE RETURN OF TANYA TUCKER Featuring Brandi Carlile Review – From 70s to Now
Country singer Tanya Tucker has been part of the sonic landscape of America since the release of the iconic song, “Delta Dawn” in 1972, when she was just 13 years old. Since then, she’s been a fixture of radio, television and the tabloids (thanks to her very public relationship with a much older musician Glen […]
GHOSTER Review: Ready for Halloween?
To say that Lionsgate’s GHOSTER is merely a clone of the movie CASPER THE FRIENDLY GHOST is accurate. Writers Nick Pollack (screenplay), Jerome Reygner-Kalfon and Sebastien Semon don’t even try to hide the fact. Although they changed the spirit’s origin story to make the premise different, I was curious because I can’t pass up a […]
BLACK ADAM Review – So Very, Very Tired
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson should really stick to appearing in family friendly comedies instead of trying to smash his way to comic book movie stardom. This massive talent is great when a decent script is given to him. When he can demonstrate he can laugh, cry and be genuine, he shines. In BLACK ADAM, all […]
DON’T WORRY DARLING Review – Something is Amiss in Suburbia
The release of DON’T WORRY DARLING comes with a lot of controversy behind it. A lot has been said about the troubled production over the last year, from the original casting of Shia LeBoeuf as a pivotal character to the possible clash between filmmaker Olivia Wilde and Florence Pugh, to the recent press conference where […]
BULLET TRAIN Mini Review – This Train Won’t Stop
Bullet Train is the type of movie I like, a film that takes place on a single night. I love that feeling that you can feel the character’s desperation of getting out of their situation before dawn breaks. A good film with a plethora of characters with different stories that all have led them to […]
THE MINIONS: THE RISE OF GRU Review – Expanding Horizons
MINIONS: THE RISE OF GRU is the perfect prequel to the DESPICABLE ME movies. Here, the Minions are the star again, and it picks up from where the last film left off, where they say sayonara to one supervillain for another. They’re trying to prove to their new mini boss, Felonius Gru (Steve Carell) they […]
THOR LOVE & THUNDER Review – This MCU is the Ultimate Trip
I can’t really think of any other way to see it but as I was watching the new Marvel Cinematic Universe joint, THOR LOVE & THUNDER, I kept thinking to myself that this is the stoner movie of 2022. I don’t partake in mind-altering substances, but Taika Waititi’s latest foray into the franchise has a […]
MARCEL THE SHELL WITH SHOES ON Review – Big Things Come In VERY Small Packages
The pandemic revealed that many of us have a strong need for companionship and close relationships and that we suffer when those things are removed. The feature film MARCEL THE SHELL WITH SHOES ON is ostensibly about a mollusk named Marcel, but it’s mostly about the importance of family and community. MARCEL started life as a YouTube […]
Baz Lhurman’s ELVIS Review – He’s All Shook Up
We’re not supposed to know everything that helped ELVIS (played by Austin Butler) become the talent that he is in Baz Luhrmann’s film. This filmmaker’s biopic examines his relationship with Colonel Tom Parker (Tom Hanks) foremost. This manager guided the young adult to become the king. In regards to his claim of killing Elvis, my […]
LICORICE PIZZA on Blu Ray Review – Big Dreams In The Valley
LICORICE PIZZA was one of the very best movies I saw in 2021, and it’s wonderful to see the movie find a solid and devoted audience. It’s loose, free-wheeling and one of filmmaker Paul Thomas Anderson’s (BOOGIE NIGHTS, MAGNOLIA, PHANTOM THREAD) finest modern movies. Watching this coming-of-age story once again, I am reminded of the […]
LIGHTYEAR Review – So Much Interstellar Buzz
While part of me thinks that a Buzz Lightyear movie is somewhat unnecessary due to all of the TOY STORY movies and the spinoff straight to video, this long-awaited spinoff LIGHTYEAR is finally here, warts and all. The movie opens on an amusing title card that tells us that the movie we are about to see […]
JURASSIC WORLD: DOMINION Review – Too Much Chomp & Circumstance
A sadness fell over me while sitting through the new JURASSIC WORLD: DOMINION. Earlier this year I commented on the movie RRR ruining me for all mainstream American movies as a prime example of what to do in a big screen entertainment to push the moviegoing experience forward. Just recently, TOP GUN MAVERICK held up […]
Bob’s Burgers The Movie Review – Guess I Need To See The Show Now
Anyone who knows me knows that I am terrible on TV shows, streaming series and the like. I’m a movie buff through and through and will watch mostly anything in a theatre. You want to get me interested in sports, for example? Put it in a movie. With that said, when a show makes the […]
TOP GUN MAVERICK Review – Pushing The Eighties Memories To Eleven
In the spring of 1987, I distinctly remember going into a small four-screen theatre in Orange, California excited to see a double feature. Though uncommon these days, double features were popular with some studios late into their theatrical runs, and Paramount had a deal to see CROCODILE DUNDEE and TOP GUN back-to-back. My family was […]