Instead of writing about this week’s big sequel, which my Houston film critic colleagues are calling the year’s worst film, I thought I would spotlight this week’s other new release. “Summer of ’85” is the latest film from François Ozon, whose 2003 provocative thriller “Swimming Pool,” starring Charlotte Rampling, made a splash in the United […]
What a life Rita Moreno has had—and it’s still going on! She got a Hollywood Star at age 64, and at 84 is working on a remake of “One Day at a Time”, a Broadway play. Arriving with her mother in the 1930’s from Puerto Rico on the U.S. shores, Rosita (only later would she be called
Rita Moreno: Just a Girl Who Decides to Go For It Read More »
This story will put a chill in any mother’s heart. It shows a reality that is hard to believe, even though we all recognize that it springs from truth. I’m not sure, but I figure that the 13 year-old girl shows a kind of heroism and strong character that is uncommon in one so young. This is not
This is straight Disney from the Americanized dialog to the characters dressed like Asians but bearing little resemblance to them. If you don’t mind that—and many don’t—it’s an engaging story about a fractured people getting separated into factions and coming back together on the basis of trust. Although the creators didn’t have it in mind, they realize
A tale of a midwestern city in the U.S. today. Blaze (Halper) and Ruth (Barden) are on their own after their mother becomes addicted to opioids and sent to jail. Blaze is older and takes his responsibility for Ruth very seriously. He recognizes that she is very bright, and pressures her to fill out a college application. But things
In his first film since the smash hit “Crazy Rich Asians,” director Jon M. Chu teams with Tony award-winning Lin-Manuel Miranda bringing his Broadway hit “In the Heights” to the big screen. If you like your musicals flashy, long and chaotic, “In the Heights” will certainly satisfy that missing element from the box office. A
Those who have followed the Conjuring series of films are familiar with the husband-wife duo of a demonologist (Wilson), Ed, and his psychic wife, Lorraine, (Farmiga) who set up their equipment on site wherever there are clues or trouble. In this instance, there is trouble in the Glatzel family where young David seems to be possessed. It’s one of
This documentary by Theo Anthony is interesting for our time in its demonstration and discussion of body cameras used by police departments and the larger issue of constant urban surveillance. The first part is a detailed explanation of how body cameras work, hosted by the Axon company, which produces most of the body cameras and tasers
Part II follows along nicely from the first one, although I don’t think the first one really warranted a sequel. The vignettes from the previous one were helpful. And certainly the eeriness of the silence punctuated with loud squawking of the monsters is even more effective this time. It produced a number of jumps and convulsive gasps on
It’s hard to see this as anything but horrible. We have the tired old theme of two women fighting with one another using underhanded means. OK, but not only that, the whole exercise is set up to make room for the next installment, which is, probably, further manifestations of the same cat fight. Little semblance of creativity