Review: First Man
I love Ryan Gosling (La La Land, Drive, The Notebook). I love space dramas, and true stories, and American heroes. I’m a big fan of director Damien Chazelle (Whiplash, La…
Review: Venom
I don’t think the trailer does this film any favors. It makes Venom look way worse than it is, at least for anyone (like me) who doesn’t have a clue…
Review: A Star Is Born
About a week after I first saw the latest version of A Star Is Born, I took advantage of a rainy weekend to catch up on the 1937 original, the…
Review: The Children Act
The Children Act is a quiet and thoughtful drama starring two of the most versatile actors of our time: Emma Thompson (Sense and Sensibility, Howards End, Saving Mr. Banks, Harry…
Review: A Simple Favor
A Simple Favor is a tough one to process and define. It’s a quirky crime drama that goes quite dark, but in a relatively light way. As weird as it…
Review: Puzzle
Directed by Marc Turtletaub, who produced Sundance faves Little Miss Sunshine and Sunshine Cleaning, Puzzle is the story of Agnes, a woman in her 40s who has yet to push…
Quickie Reviews: The Wife; The Happytime Murders; Skate Kitchen; Support the Girls
The Wife is a slow-burn drama with a mystery twist that explores the relationship between Joan and Joe Castleman (Glenn Close and Jonathan Pryce), a long-married couple who travel to…
Review: Juliet, Naked
Ah, what a breath of fresh air! Juliet, Naked is a charming and funny romantic drama that is pure and simple in its development of characters and story. In lesser…
Review: Crazy Rich Asians
Cue up the sequel. I suspect Hollywood will see enough green from Crazy Rich Asians to justify a speedy greenlight for a second (and third) film based on the popular…
Review: Leave No Trace
Eight years ago writer/director Debra Granik introduced us all to Jennifer Lawrence in the amazing Winter's Bone. She's finally made another movie after way too long, introducing us to the…
Review: BlackkKlansman
Spike Lee's latest joint is about as far fetched as you could imagine. Set in the early 70s, Ron Stallworth (John David Washington) becomes Colorado Springs, Colorado's first African-American cop.…
Review: Don’t Worry, He Won’t Get Far on Foot
Director Gus Van Sant has brought us some very powerful films in the past -- Milk, Good Will Hunting, Finding Forrester, to name just a few -- and he frequently…
Review: Shock and Awe
The most shocking thing about Shock and Awe is how shockingly flat it turned out to be, given the star-power behind it as well as the timeliness of its core…
Review: Gauguin: Voyage to Tahiti
If you are a lover of modern art in the least, you're most likely familiar with Paul Gauguin's work, particularly the bold colorful paintings he did while living in French…
Cinema Clash podcast: Incredibles 2; Tag; A Kid Like Jake; Hearts Beat Loud; The Misandrists
Incredibles 2 scored big at the box office in its opening weekend, and rightly so. It was a great family film for Father’s Day, and it’s certainly the early front-runner…