(***) If the job of an act/thr/hor is to scare the daylights out of you, Beast gets the job done. The success of this film’s eye-catching, ear-grabbing hocus pocus can be traced back to smart direction, near seamless visual/sound effects, tight editing and the supremely talented Idris Elba. “Cujo as a lion” was the goal. Screenwriter Ryan Engle (Rampage) set the stage, created […]
Day Shift
(**) He works hard for the money. Hunting, killing and extracting teeth from vampires for a living, in the hot San Fernando Valley, is no joke. Bud (Jamie Foxx) acts like he’s just an innocuous pool cleaner in SoCal. But on the downlow, he’s hunting bloodsuckers for cash. He just got kicked out of the international vampire hunters […]
Easter Sunday
(**1/2) He’s the talk of Netflix. Streaming audiences watch Filipino comedian Jo Koy bring the house down as he headlines shows in L.A., Hawaii and the Philippines. This edgy, urban comic loves his Asian culture and now he’s sharing that joy in movie theaters. In Easter Sunday, screenwriters Ken Cheng and Kate Angelo keep Koy in […]
Bullet Train
(***) “Fate will do what it wills,” says The Elder. But what happens when fate turns out to be a series of unpredictable and ultra-violent events aboard the world’s fastest train? The basis for this cutthroat railroad trip is a book by the very popular Japanese novelist Kôtarô Isaka. Hence the setting and situation. Ladybug (Brad Pitt) is an operative who’ll steal […]
DC League of Super-Pets
(***1/2) Somebody really put their paw in this. Humans are credited for writing and directing this fun-filled ani//act/adv, but don’t be surprised if a four-legged friend ghostwrote and directed the whole thing. The dialogue, jokes and storyline are so pet friendly and perceptive it seems that way. Krypto the Super-dog (voice of Dwayne “The Rock” […]
Nope
(**1/2) It came from outer space. Or somewhere. Something’s hovering over Otis Haywood’s (Keith David, Barbershop) ranch in SoCal’s parched Santa Clarita Valley. Otis comes from a long line of horsemen and is a noted animal wrangler for TV and film. His son OJ (David Kaluuya, Get Out) works beside him and his stallions. That thing in […]
Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris
“You’re a dreamer.” That’s what her friends say. That’s her essence. Middle-aged Ada Harris (Lesley Manville, The Crown) works tirelessly as a housekeeper for rich folks in 1950s London. She scrubs, sews and keeps things tidy for wealthy, impervious snots. Her husband Eddie, a solider, went missing and never returned from WWII. She’s alone and grieves […]
Black Life Empowers 2022 American Black Film Festival
The 2022 American Black Film Festival featured in-theater screenings and a virtual component too. Issa Rae (Insecure) reigned as the festival ambassador and introduced her new HBO Max series “Rap Sh!t.” Crowds watched feature films, docs and shorts and participated in talk events, networking and of course partied hard. To stay tuned to Black film 24/7/365 go […]
Multicultural Voices Sound Off at 2022 Tribeca Film Festival
This year at the 2022 Tribeca Film Festival, audiences listened to filmmakers as they told their vibrant stories in their own words. Allswell (**1/2) Three Brooklyn Latinx bond in this very charming family comedy drama. Screenwriters Elizabeth Rodriguez and Bob Snyder set the stage, and Snyder as the director pushes and pulls the characters around NYC’s biggest borough. The hub is […]
Elvis
(**1/2) Baz Luhrmann photobombs this Elvis portrait with over-extravagant filmmaking that dwarfs the iconic rock and roller. And that ain’t easy. The script, cowritten by Luhrmann, Sam Bromell and Craig Pearce (Moulin Rouge! and Romeo + Juliet), puts it all out there. Ambitious singer borrows heavily from R&B music, fuses it with up-tempo rock and twangy country […]
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