(***) Is it possible to admire the artistry of a movie more than the movie itself? Yes! As a writer/director Ryan Coogler has had a storied career. From his first, well lauded and socially coconscious film Fruitvale Station, to the globally popular Black Panther superhero series and two chapters of the sports drama Creed—he’s cemented his place in film […]
The Amateur
(***) Hell hath no fury like a nerd seeking revenge. That hardly seems like a threat, until a wonky CIA worker loses the love of his life and goes on a war path. When it comes to espionage/action/thrillers, assassins like Jason Bourne (The Bourne Identity) and field agents like Ethan Hunt (Mission: Impossible) come to […]
The Friend
(***) Damn that’s a big dog. A big sad dog. So, what’s his problem? Well, he’s in mourning… The novel The Friend, by Sigrid Nunez, doesn’t tell this lives-after-death story from the canine’s point of view. Instead, it shares the perspective of his new shell-shocked owner, the person who inherits him. In the book, much of […]
The Woman in the Yard
(**1/2) The chickens are dead in their bloodied coop. The dog is gone, too. Is the woman in the yard messing with ‘em? Yep. A widowed mom, Ramona (Danielle Deadwyler, Till) can’t get past the tragedy she’s experienced. Her husband (Russell Hornsby, Fences) is gone, and she lives with that sorrow every day. Mornings start curled up […]
Magazine Dreams
(**) Images of Jonathan Majors (Creed III) in a skimpy swimsuit, sporting a lean, muscular body that would shame Michelangelo’s David don’t portend what’s to come. Based on the male eye candy, some film fans may anticipate the joy of a comedy/drama like Magic Mike or the enthusiasm of the inspiring documentary Pumping Iron. Think twice. This isn’t […]
Black Bag
(***) “There’s been a breach.” “We have a traitor.” “Who’s a suspect?” “Your wife!” Titillating bits of conversation run the ground work for this fairly engrossing British spy/drama/thriller. Within minutes audiences will figure out the problem, complications and where the intricately laid out script by David Koepp (Mission: Impossible) will take them. It’s all administered and […]
On Becoming A Guinea Fowl
(***1/2) Dead uncle in the middle of the road. Do you hit the brakes or accelerate? British writer/director Rungano Nyoni has her own take on the #MeToo movement as it concerns her home country, Zambia. She prefers a modern fable. One in which the protagonist must find her voice to speak the truths about what has happened. […]
Train Dreams – 2025 Sundance Film Festival
(**1/2) “All aboard!” Come for the artistry and acting. Stay for the sorrowful drama. Leave astounded and saddened. Clint Bentley, the director of the indie drama Jockey is on a roll. He co-wrote and produced the prison film Sing Sing, which was up for a 2025 Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar®. Conversely, the director of Sing Sing, Greg Kwedar, is […]
Prime Minister – 2025 Sundance Film Festival
(****) If ever there was a need for a role model on how to run a country with compassion and strength, that time is now. And she’s the one. Something was very different about Labor Party member Jacinda Ardern. Right from the beginning of her tenure as opposition leader in 2017, she seemed gifted. Ardern’s […]
Omaha – 2025 Sundance Film Festival
(**1/2) Ella, a scared little girl, asks, “Dad where are we going?” He cryptically replies, “Pretend there was a fire in the house. What would you take with you?” Next thing you now, they’re gone. Hard to imagine a crisis this devastating and the ensuing upheaval. Hard for audiences, but not for screenwriter Robert Machoian. Nor […]
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