This movie opens with stunning oceans views and beautiful scenery, but viewers will quickly sense the foreboding dread they likely paid for. This isn’t a beauty and the beast story. New filmmaker Michael Pearce explores romance, horror, manipulation and mental illness in a film that feels like Twilight’s cousin. The moody scenery of France’s Chanel […]
Director of 27 Dresses Michael Mayer doesn’t seem to have much of a clue how to adapt Anton Chekhov’s play. He’s in good company, as other versions have also disappointed. Despite the lack of inspired direction, the actors rise to the occasion of melodrama, especially Oscar nominee Bening (Film Stars Don’t Die in Liverpool). The
While there is nothing inherently wrong with the latest “Star Wars” film, there is nothing intrinsically right with it either. “Star Wars” fatigue has set in for many fans a few episodes back. Fatigue that is likely to continue because the franchise which used to debut films once every few years, now delivers a new one every few
Producer Bill Holderman gets behind the camera for the first time as director on Book Club. Holderman knows a thing or two about films catering to the 60+ crowd as he helped launch both Robert Redford films A Walk in the Woods and Lost at Sea. Holderman’s movies always focus on privileged, white, American characters.
This marks the fourth film wife and husband team Melissa McCarthy and Ben Falcone have collaborated on. “Life of the Party” is a step above “Tammy” and “The Boss” (both were directed by Falcone). However, McCarthy’s continued reach for duplicating the success of Bridesmaids falls short. McCarthy and Falcone’s script here regurgitates shtick from “back
If you ever wanted to know what David Fincher’s Panic Room might look like as a made for television movie, look no further. From the director of bargain bin movies like The Raven (remake) and Ninja Assassin, James McTeigue brings his talent for bad cinema to the desperate-vengeful-black mom genre, which has until know, only
In a rare schedule switch, after being influenced from TIFF piers, I swapped out the negatively reviewed Suburbicon to the smaller indie flick Lean on Pete. Charlie Plummer (All the Money in the World) was being praised on Twitter for his performance, and while it’s an impressive leading role debut for a newcomer, I didn’t
Another movie where highest paid “actor” Dwayne Johnson saves the world. “Rampage” is also the second video game adaptation we’ve seen this year. Director Brad Peyton and Johnson have become a team delivering spectacle film “Journey 2” and “San Andreas” (the sequel to that one coming soon). “Rampage” feels like a cross section of different
Director Andrew Dosunmu’s decision to shoot Where is Kyra entirely in natural light greatly hinders what could have been a comeback performance for Michelle Pfeiffer. His script puts Pfeiffer in a financial crisis that will have the audience asking what they might do if it were them. The story has an interesting premise and peaks
You might wish you never really watched Lynne Ramsey’s latest film You Were Never Really Here. Her first film since Need to Talk About Kevin (2011), she has a thing for long titles. My first reaction to this film, which debuted unfinished at Cannes in 2017 to standing ovations, was one of annoyance. For the