A recent movie trend (that I dislike, if not despise) is the brutally violent dark comedy. Such films attempt to frame their mostly criminal-related plots in veiled comedy terms, with amoral characters killing and maiming at will and insisting that […]
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Return to Wickensburg (2024) ☆ 1/2
While Wickensburg is worthy of a look, its immediate sequel is not. Continuing a story a couple of years later, adding twists and defying expectations while trying to remain consistent is not as easy as one might think. While this movie […]
Continue reading »Wickensburg (2022) ☆ ☆
There is a fairly extensive history of movies with teenage protagonists bravely facing danger and opposition while trying to save their town or family, from The Goonies and The Monster Squad to the more recent Super 8 and Monster Summer. They […]
Continue reading »The Inspection (2002) ☆ ☆ ☆
The most powerful stories are those that relate personal experience in all its detail and emotion. This particular story is based on writer-director Elegance Bratton’s own homelessness and difficulties he experienced after joining the Marine Corps. How one reacts to […]
Continue reading »The Friend (2024) ☆ ☆ ☆
You don’t have to be a dog lover to enjoy the drama The Friend — but it would probably help. The dog in this case is a massive Great Dane named Apollo (Bing), and it is the dog that drives the […]
Continue reading »A Working Man (2025) ☆ ☆
Adapted by Sylvester Stallone, A Working Man is intended to be a new film franchise for action star Jason Statham, based on Chuck Dixon’s book series. Whether such a series materializes is questionable, since this movie did not do very well […]
Continue reading »Zootopia 2 (2025) ☆ ☆ ☆
Nine years ago, Disney unleashed the first Zootopia upon audiences, and have finally put together a sequel. Thankfully, it is just as smart and innovative as the first one, emphasizes story over jokes, and is pretty darned entertaining. Jared Bush and […]
Continue reading »Ella McCay (2025) ☆ ☆
We haven’t heard from writer-director James L. Brooks for a while. He has some classics in his past — Broadcast News, Terms of Endearment, As Good as it Gets — but he also has Spanglish and How Do You Know, both of which […]
Continue reading »A House of Dynamite (2025) ☆ ☆ 1/2
This type of story is right up my alley. I’ve always been fascinated by doomsday scenarios and the films they have spawned: Fail Safe, Dr. Strangelove , . ., Crimson Tide, By Dawn’s Early Light, Miracle Mile, Defcon-4, The Day After, […]
Continue reading »28 Years Later (2025) ☆ ☆
When Danny Boyle’s 28 Days Later appeared in 2002, it was celebrated as a frightening, gore-filled, innovative new take on what were becoming familiar zombie tropes. I disagreed, and gave it two stars. I’ve not seen it since. The sequel, 28 […]
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