What is most striking about JOHN WICK: CHAPTER 4, and JW:C4 is a very striking film, is how emotionally engaging it is as is goes about the business of filling the screen to bursting with gloriously choreographed, ultra-violent action sequences. What in other films of this ilk would provide a paper-thin motivation for its protagonists… Read More »
MARRY ME
MARRY ME falls into the category of mostly harmless. As a rom-com, it shadows its inspiration, NOTTING HILL, at a respectful distance in an exercise tailored to showcase its star/co-producer Jennifer Lopez as an actress and a singer fond of sparkly outfits. It’s bright, shiny, and no more serious than its premise of a superstar… Read More »
THE SUNLIT NIGHT
Thus begins her journey, artistic and literal, in this understated yet study of art and life that is sharp, uncompromising, and suffused with mordant humor amid the tragedies and quirks of la vie quotidienne.
LANDLINE
In a perfect world, Jenny Slate would be America’s undisputed sweetheart. With her lopsided smile and quixotic lunges at happiness that strew confusion in the wake of good intentions, she is the quintessence of a good person confused by a zeitgeist that provides many options, but few guidelines. Reuniting with her OBVIOUS CHILD director/writer… Read More »
NORMAN: THE MODERATE RISE AND TRAGIC FALL OF A NEW YORK FIXER
The title character of NORMAN: THE MODERATE RISE AND TRAGIC FALL OF A NEW YORK FIXER, lives in a world of endless possibilities. Spinning schemes, half-truths, and complete fictions into a confident spiel about enormous profits and helpful introductions, he wanders the streets of New York stalking his prey of people on the edges of… Read More »
FANTASTIC BEASTS AND WHERE TO FIND THEM
Huzzah for FANTASTIC BEASTS AND WHERE TO FIND THEM! This look at another part of the magical universe of Harry Potter and Hogwarts, penned by J.K. Rowling specifically for the screen, expands the mythos with the sort of wildly whimsical originality that we have come to expect from her. Added bonus, with no book as… Read More »
THE BLACK PANTHERS: VANGUARD OF THE REVOLUTION — Stanley Nelson
When Stanley Nelson started working on THE BLACK PANTHERS: VANGUARD OF THE REVOLUTION, it was seven years ago and he thought the history of that movement was particularly relevant to those times. In 2015, he thinks it’s even more relevant. When I spoke to him on October 1, 2015, the echoes of the Panther movement in… Read More »
I NOW PRONOUNCE YOU CHUCK AND LARRY
I NOW PRONOUNCE YOU CHUCK AND LARRY is another self-indulgent, unfunny wallow in what Adam Sandler thinks is funny. From the first fart joke (10 minutes in) to the second fart joke (11 minutes in), to the self-congratulatory deus ex machina ending that is supposed to redeem the previous excruciating two hours, it is a… Read More »