Some stories are patently obvious in their intent.  A glance at the plot delivers all one needs to know about that story, from what to expect to a telling indicator of how one will feel about it.  They say “you […]

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When this musical-comedy was released in December I had not seen any of the popular Pitch Perfect trilogy.  But over the last few weeks my wife Barb and I have caught up to the first two on DVD and have seen […]

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Based on the preview I was expecting a very raunchy comedy, a genre which I don’t particularly like.  Certainly elements of the perverse are present — and yet this movie has great heart and chemistry, too.  The result is an […]

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Satire without a central target results in scattershot humor, and mostly unfunny movies.  That seems to be what has occurred with Downsizing, the latest film from director Alexander Payne and his writing partner, Jim Taylor.  Despite a promising premise, the resultant […]

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I was surprised how much I enjoyed the new Star Wars film.  At 152 minutes it is the longest of the series so far; its lead is reclusive Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill), who has always been the least interesting character from […]

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Gary Oldman endured hours of makeup and prosthetic applications every day to portray British Prime Minister Winston Churchill in Darkest Hour, to great effect.  Oldman is a chameleon of an actor, a guy who has been making movies for more than […]

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Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman are back together again in Justice League, joined for the first time by The Flash, Aquaman and Cyborg.  This is DC’s ultimate superhero mash-up, at least until the next big to-do.  While it is fun to […]

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