A few years ago, Morgan Neville won an Academy Award for 20 Feet From Stardom, a soulful, uplifting documentary about background singers, people we literally hear every day, but who never grabbed the spotlight for themselves, for any number of reasons. Seeing Darlene Love sing "His Eye is On the Sparrow" as Neville and the producers … Continue reading I’m Not Crying, You’re Crying, Shut Up! – Won’t You Be My Neighbor?
Of the major movies released this past weekend, only one ended up with that dreaded splat on Rotten Tomatoes, and even then, just barely, at 59%. So before I take a look at the critical darlings of the weekend, I figured I'd give a little bit of attention to Hotel Artemis, an ambitious siege thriller that … Continue reading A Pastiche Siege That Aims to Please – Hotel Artemis
Today marks the release of the A-list loaded, highly marketed heist comedy, Ocean's 8, which I have already made clear that I will not see without a compelling reason, despite my girlfriend's pleas, because it comes off to me as a lazy spinoff of a remake that nobody asked for, and seems like just another excuse … Continue reading The Only Heist Movie You Should See This Weekend – American Animals
It should come as no surprise that I like documentaries. I've reviewed quite a few on here already, and I obsessed over the challenge of seeing all 15 short-listed feature docs before the Oscar nominations even came out (I fell one short - sonofabitch!). I concede that I don't know much about the craft or … Continue reading Back Row Thoughts – What’s Up, Docs?
Written and directed by Paul Schrader (who helmed films like American Gigolo, as well as co-writing Martin Scorsese classics like Taxi Driver and Raging Bull), the satirical religious drama First Reformed offers an intriguing take on the hypocrisies of the world through the lens of faith. It asks deep, insightful questions about what the role of clergy should be in … Continue reading Ethan Hawke Pays for the Sins of the Holy Father – First Reformed
Right away I almost feel that I have to dock this film half a letter grade because of its release date. We literally had May the Fourth on a Friday this year, and this movie was held for another three weeks. Yes, May 25th is the actual anniversary of the release of the original Star Wars, … Continue reading When We Were Less Scruffy-Looking Nerf-Herders – Solo: A Star Wars Story
Like I said in my last review, there are a ton of single-subject biographical documentaries so far this year, but this one is the best yet. Some 50 years on from 2001: A Space Odyssey, director Tony Zierra brings us Filmworker, about the magnificent journey of Leon Vitali, the man behind the curtain of Stanley Kubrick's mystique … Continue reading Below the Line and Above it All – Filmworker
There have been a fair few documentaries so far this year focusing on singular figures who have made a difference in the world. Some are joyous, some are depressing, some are downright silly. However, by definition, Pope Francis - A Man of His Word, can best be described as "incomplete," because given the access granted to … Continue reading Il Papa’s Got a Brand New Vatican – Pope Francis – A Man of His Word
Like Avengers: Infinity War, I was fairly confident that if you - the reader - felt any inkling to see Deadpool 2, you'd do so no matter what I say here. As it turns out, I was right, as the "second coming," as it's advertised on billboards, has taken the top spot at the weekend box office, … Continue reading Bigger, Funnier, Maximum Effort… er – Deadpool 2
Released in Japan almost a year ago to the day, American audiences finally get to see the award-winning Lu Over the Wall, the second film released (though first produced) by Science Saru Studios, directed by Masaaki Yuasa. It tells a relatively simple story of friendship and affection between a boy and an aquatic creature. And thankfully, since … Continue reading Music Makes You Shake Your Tail Fin – Lu Over the Wall
