Category: Review

  • Review: Judy

    “Judy” ends up being a hollow film with a glossy shell, this film makes it look like there wasn’t much to the woman behind the curtain. I think this film would have been much more successful if it fully committed to exploring Judy Garland as a symbol as opposed to an actual character, as the…

  • Review: Ad Astra and Downton Abbey

    It’s sad and mad Brad in “Ad Astra” and the question of “what is a weekend?” still doesn’t get resolved in “Downton Abbey.” It’s sad Brad Pitt in space. That pretty much sums up “Ad Astra” so if that sounds appealing have at. I however found it unoriginal and dull. Pitt, Ruth Negga, Liv Tyler,…

  • Review: Hustlers

    “Hustlers” isn’t a stripper movie, it’s a story of female friendship – just in an unorthodox setting. If you’re going to “Hustlers” expecting T&A, you’ll find it, but you’re missing the point of the entire rest of the film. Jennifer Lopez and Constance Wu give hurricane performances as a pair of friends. Julia Stiles, Keke…

  • Review: Official Secrets

    “Official Secrets” gets overshadowed by the bleakness of actual politics.  ​”Official Secrets” tells the story of whistleblower Katharine Gun, who in 2003 leaked info about the US Government asking the UK to help them blackmail UN Security Council Members into supporting the Iraq war. Yet because things haven’t gotten much better since it makes it…

  • Review: Brittany Runs a Marathon

    This week “Brittany Runs a Marathon” and I get marathon PTSD. ​I thoroughly enjoyed (and was mildly re-traumatized by) the Sundance hit, “Brittany Runs a Marathon.” It is the transformative story of Brittany – played brilliantly by Jillian Bell – who aims to get her sh*t together and decides to run the New York City…

  • Review: Good Boys

    The Seth Rogen produced “Good Boys” has a surprising amount of heart, but don’t worry, it’s still gross. ​I was pleasantly surprised by a lot of the approach “Good Boys” took to the material it covered. In lesser hands a film about sixth graders getting up to hijinks would be much more grating. It stars…

  • Review: Blinded by the Light

    Get ready for yet another music movie, this time featuring the sounds of The Boss, set against 1987 Luton, England. “Blinded by the Light” is a cute/light summer fare shining a spotlight on 1978 Luton and local Pakistani boy, Javed (Viveik Kalra) and his journey growing up there. Directed by Gurinder Chada. ​More about the…

  • Review: The Kitchen and The Nightingale

    This week brings the morally corrupt female led crime caper in “The Kitchen” and an intense survival story in “The Nightingale.” Based on the DC Comics novel of the same name, “The Kitchen” features Melissa McCarthy, Tiffany Haddish, and Elisabeth Moss as three Irish crime wives turned crime bosses. Domhnall Gleeson, Margo Martindale, Common, and…

  • Review: Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw

    “Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw” feels more like an after school special than an action flick. ​In spite of my affection for Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Jason Statham, the two of them don’t quite click in this Fast & Furious spinoff. Dwayne Johnson, Jason Statham, Idris Elba, Vanessa Kirby, Eiza Gonzales, Roman…

  • Review: Once Upon a Time in Hollywood

    This week brings Quentin Tarantino’s latest self indulgence, “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.” ​In spite of an A-list cast of Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt, Margot Robbie, Emile Hirsch, Timothy Olyphant, Dakota Fanning, Bruce Dern, Al Pacino, Luke Perry, and Kurt Russell, this 2 hour 45 minute bloated film belongs in a time of old,…