(****) She’s like the girl next door. The young woman from around the way. The one you think you know, but you don’t. Mary J. Bilge has radiated that kind of approachable vibe her entire career. It’s disarming and endearing. That don’t-I know-you feel helps Teyana Taylor turn a very feisty and troubled mom into […]
John Wick: Chapter 4
(***1/2) Artistic, balletic and acrobatic violence separates the John Wick franchise from other action/crime/thrillers. That ritual continues as the hitman’s hitman discovers friends can be foes and foes can be friends. John Wick (Keanu Reeves) is a badass, hired killer. He works under the mandates of a clandestine council, “The High Table.” The group of 12 crime […]
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(**) It wasn’t enough! Whatever they paid Adam Driver for holding this feeble movie together, it wasn’t enough. Screenwriters turned directors Scott Beck & Bryan Woods created a winning formula as the writers of A Quiet Place. Build a family atmosphere, then put the wretches in constant peril. It worked once, so why not now? For starters AQP took place in […]
Creed III
(***) For a first-time director, actor Michael B. Jordan lands a solid punch. As soon as the bell rings, it’s on. Continuing a boxing movie franchise that started back in 1976, with the Oscar-winning film Rocky, and sustaining that winning spirit for 47+ years is quite a responsibility. Filmmaker Ryan Coogler (Creed and Creed II) was up to that […]
Luther: The Fallen Sun
(***1/2) What a story! Right from the beginning this psychological/crime/thriller grips you and doesn’t let up until it’s done. Caleb, a young white male custodian, works a night shift cleaning floors in an empty London office building. He gets a cryptic, threatening call: “Meet me here in 15 minutes … or everyone will get the […]
Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania
(**) The thrill is gone. The Marvel Universe shoots a blank. A tiny one. Arguably, the itty-bitty Ant-Man and The Wasp aren’t the most impressive superheroes. So, any new adventure for the self-promoting, mildly amusing Scott Lang (Paul Rudd), aka Ant-Man, and his sidekick/lover Hope Van Dyne (Evangeline Lilly), aka The Wasp, has got to […]
Filmmakers Tell Their Versions of Events at 2023 Sundance Film Festival
Filmmakers told a variety of stories at Sundance. Some were shocking. Some warm-hearted. Parent/child conflict was on view. The tech world ran amuck. That thin line between love and hate shrank. New tales. New twists. New messages. Lots to contemplate. Eileen (****) She didn’t see it coming. Eileen (Thomasin McKenzie), a small-town young Boston-area woman works […]
The 2023 Sundance Film Festival Explores Life in America
The Sundance Film Festival showcased a wide variety of films that focused on rural communities, the suburbs and cities. Some movies viewed Native American reservations, Latino high schools and Asian/American culture. All showed the reflections of people in motion. Fancy Dance (***) Solving a puzzling disappearance gives this mystery/drama a momentum that lasts for most of […]
Knock at the Cabin
(**) Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should. For some reason veteran hor/thr director M. Night Shyamalan (The Sixth Sense) has decided to put a lot of bad juju vibes out into the world. If you’re curious, read on. It’s an unusual premise, but so what. Four strangers (Dave Bautista, Nikki Amuka-Bird, Abby Quinn, Rupert Grint) think […]
Black Films Take Center Stage at 2023 Sundance Film Festival
Black life was on full view at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival. Legendary figures were given their due. Family dramas were showcased. Movies from the motherland added a unique perspective. Black directors, screenwriters, tech crews and actors showcased their talents at America’s biggest indie film festival in films that mattered. A Thousand and One (****) In […]
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