Every holiday has a dark side and Christmas is no exception. German and Austrian legends hold that “Krampus” lurks about, ready to punish naughty children. Now there is a film about this particular Grinch, and while it has some areas […]
Continue reading »Category: Recent Releases
Secret in Their Eyes (2015) ☆ ☆ ☆
This is a Hollywood adaptation of a 2009 Argentinian film with the same title (+ The). The earlier film is a masterpiece which won the Best Foreign Film Oscar; the ending still haunts me to this day. Now Billy Ray […]
Continue reading »Spotlight (2015) ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆
I had no idea what Spotlight was about until a few weeks ago, when I finally caught a preview for it, and saw what would appear to be a well-meaning but obvious crusade film against pedophile priests. Boy did I misread […]
Continue reading »Victor Frankenstein (2015) ☆ ☆ ☆
Remakes or re-imaginings of the classic Universal monster movies have not gone well in recent years, and Victor Frankenstein looked to me like a bomb ready to burst. Imagine my surprise when, seeing it anyway, I found it to be sharp, […]
Continue reading »The Peanuts Movie (2015) ☆ ☆ 1/2
I have always had mixed feelings about the Peanuts gang, and this movie has done nothing to change that. The bottom line is that if you loved the comic strip, or the television specials, you will enjoy this new version, […]
Continue reading »The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2 (2015) ☆ ☆ ☆
This is a series that has consistently surprised me, especially since I hate the premise (kids killing kids for entertainment, remember that?). It has evolved into a discourse about revolution and fighting against tyranny, which is all to the credit […]
Continue reading »The 33 (2015) ☆ ☆ ☆ 1/2
Another true story is fictionalized for film, and this time it is done with near perfection. The 2010 Chilean mine collapse made international headlines because thirty-three of the buried miners survived the initial collapse and banded together for seventeen days […]
Continue reading »Bridge of Spies (2015) ☆ ☆ ☆
History is always fascinating fodder for the cinema and the history of the Cold War, featuring two superpowers sparring with nuclear boxing gloves, is dripping with cinematic portent. The only problem is that history is complex, often slow to develop […]
Continue reading »Spectre (2015) ☆ ☆ ☆
I love the James Bond films, which have been being made almost as long as I have been alive. I didn’t see my first Bond film until the mid-1970s; it was Diamonds are Forever, and I was hooked immediately. While I […]
Continue reading »Scout’s Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse (2015) ☆ ☆
Everyone and their mothers are trying to devise new, clever ways to employ zombies in mainstream entertainment (look soon for Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, for instance). Zombies are the hottest ticket going, so putting zombies up against Scouts (not Boy […]
Continue reading »