This is an Ice Age adventure in the usual Disney vein. Typically, in the franchise’s tradition, some current universal issue is addressed (e.g., climate change, its threats and others’ to animals and to earth), along with changes in relationships within small groups, like a family or a herd, facing a major threat. This one focuses on children ready to […]
Herself. An intriguing title for a film. After I watched it, I thought about an improvement on the title might have been Her Self, for Sandra (in a winning performance by Dunne) finds her self in the events that will transpire. The film absolutely captures the figure of a woman literally beaten down, unsure of herself but with, somehow,
Maybe, partly, with all that is worrisome going on in our world today, I wasn’t quite in the spirit of Christmas when I viewed Christmas on the Square. But as much as I’ve always loved Dolly Parton, there is just too much sweetness in this movie. The music, choreography, sets, and acting are all first-rate, but the predictable
When the witches are away, the mice will play. This is a fun piece narrated by Chris Rock and starring him and two excellent actors, Octavia Spencer and Anne Hathaway, in a fantasy based on a Roald Dahl novel. Kid-friendly, of course, but with suspense that is likely to be enjoyed by adults as well as children.
More than being funny, the movie’s to be admired more for the “arms” grandpa and grandson use to wage their war. Peter (Fegley) is incensed when his mother (Thurman) decides that it’s too risky for her father to remain in his own home, and forces him to move in with her family. For this to happen, Grandpa
This is a fun animated movie that kids are likely to love (and some adults too, based on the guffaws I heard at the screening), with a couple of good messages. Two brothers live with their solicitous mother, getting along fairly well (except maybe for the older one’s bossiness toward the younger, and his chaotic way
Diversity reigns in Amazon Prime’s latest original feature. Produced and starring Academy Award winner Viola Davis (Widows), re-teaming with her Oscar winning pal Allison Janney (I, Tonya) for a troop-scout, coming of age story, like few others. The screenplay comes from Lucy Alibar, the Academy Award nominated writer of Beasts of the Southern Wild. As
Talking to the animals and having them respond back. This movie is surprisingly convincing in making you think it is possible. Dr. Dolittle (Downey) has been holed up in his house, not doing much of anything but talking to his animals after he lost his love Lili on her adventure at sea. He lives with these creatures, and
I shake my head when I see productions like Playing with Fire presented to kids. Clearly, the filmmakers don’t know kids very well (all the dialog for these kids sounds like an adult who still has childhood remnants in his psyche and/or has no idea what real children are like), and they portray adults behaving and sounding like children. The movie misses the
The events taking place in “Luce” are the kind that are likely to generate a multitude of discussion and debate. J.C. Lee’s play turned screenplay is a riveting exploration into the social, physiological, and racial discussions currently being had in our society, albeit from a different perspective. However, it’s difficult to absorb entirely what “Luce” is trying to explore