Water deeper than expected In the spirit of giving credit where it’s due, my hat’s off to director Renny Harlan and screenwriters Pete Bridges, Shayne Armstrong, S.P. Krause and Damien Power, where their latest film, Deep Water, is concerned. All involved obviously embraced the notion of making the ultimate disaster movie, shamelessly cribbing from The […]
Movies
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Body lasts too long, Mummy far more than a monster movie
Body becomes a bit ripe On Monday, April 20, an op-ed appeared in the New York Times with the headline “Movies are Bullying Us with Their Bloat,” by Frank Bruni. In it, the author harps on a complaint I’ve had with American movies for quite some time: their needless length. He points out the average […]
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The Drama serves as a cautionary tale, Thrash a silly, welcome respite
Smart Drama a cautionary tale for today A cautionary tale for today, Kristoffer Borgli’s The Drama is a movie that thrives on making its characters and the viewer uncomfortable. Handling hot button topics with a commendable deft touch, the film puts social media era relationships under the microscope, as well as our ever-shifting perspectives of […]
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Super Mario Galaxy Movie disappoints, Fantasy Life is aimless and predictable
Galaxy simply goes through the motions I have yet to be blessed with grandchildren. Still, that doesn’t prevent me from casting my thoughts toward future events I hope to share with them. I look forward to birthday parties in which my wife and I will spend far too much money celebrating their arrival; I see […]
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Mike saved by veteran cast, Lethal is efficiently executed
Mike in desperate need of wit There’s a good idea rattling around in BenDavid Grabinski’s Mike & Nick & Nick & Alice. Before enduring this surprisingly dull exercise, I didn’t realize I needed a time travel-hitman-buddy-movie-dramedy. Ironically, after sitting through this slog of a movie, that need remains. Even after my plot summary you may […]
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Hail Mary good but too long, Immortal Man brings Peaky Blinders to an end
Epic Hail Mary a journey too long Having not read Andy Weir’s novel Project: Hail Mary, I came in cold to Phil Lord and Christopher Miller’s big screen adaptation of the same. It didn’t take long to understand why the book was on the New York Times’ Best-Sellers List for nearly 40 weeks. Knowing that […]
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Slanted a pointed social satire, message of Hoppers is off the mark
Slanted provides a level-eyed look at race Hobbled by a modest budget, Amy Wang still manages to effectively deliver a pointed social satire with Slanted, a hybrid of The Substance and Mean Girls that examines the pitfalls of cultural assimilation. Through the eyes of its sympathetic protagonist, the film manages to address not only the […]
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Messy Bride never finds its footing, Protector a waste of time, money and talent
Bride a shambling mess of a movie In the interest of full disclosure, I need to say upfront that I’ve seen James Whale’s The Bride of Frankenstein more than any other movie. It never ceases to entertain, the filmmaker’s inventive combination of gothic horror, dark humor and fairy tale elements are as fresh today as […]
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Dracula shows some life, Send Help doesn’t end well
Cast finds life in flawed Dracula Estimates as to how many times Dracula has appeared on film range from approximately 200 to 500. The low number is tabulated by purists who only count productions that feature a version of Bram Stoker’s character while the latter figure included parodies or knock-offs of the seminal vampire. He’s […]
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Wrecking Crew needs innovation, The Morrigan a worthwhile shocker
Bautista, Mamoa nearly salvage Wrecking Crew With the coming of sound to the film industry in 1927, the movie musical was born. Studios were so eager to promote the new technology through song and dance, there was a glut of musicals that nearly killed the genre before it could gain a head of steam. In […]
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Mercy falls short, Rip cleverly done
Intriguing Mercy ultimately falters Smacking of Steven Spielberg’s overlooked masterpiece Minority Report, Timur Bekmambetov’s Mercy also features a law enforcement officer trapped in a legal system he helped create, trying desperately to prove his innocence. At the heart of the Tom Cruise feature were questions of free will and predetermination. Here, the script from writer […]
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Song Sung Blue an inspiring tale, Marty Supreme grows taxing
Blue a Song of Inspiration Craig Brewer managed to change my mind about two things with his surprising Song Sung Blue. I was wrong about the purpose of musical tribute acts and Kate Hudson. As for the latter, based on her past output, she always struck me an actress of limited means. After seeing her […]
