‘Clerks’ reviews
John’s “Clerks” flashback review, Aug. 1, 2021 “Clerks” — Kevin Smith’s black-and-white debut film is a day-in-the-life tale of a convenience store clerk and all the people and situations he encounters. It’s the reality of […]
Movies
‘The Naked Gun’ and ‘Naked Gun 2 1/2’ reviews
“The Naked Gun” (1988) and “Naked Gun 2 1/2: The Smell of Fear” (1991) — From the files of 1982’s six-episode run of “Police Squad” comes the big screen exploits of bumbling Lieutenant Frank Drebin (Leslie Neilsen). The […]
Marvel’s ‘Black Panther’ is a bold, fun, powerful masterpiece (Movie review)
As the Marvel Cinematic Universe entered Phase Three it seemed to take on a unique challenge, reinventing itself with each new film. “Thor: Ragnarok” was basically the MCU’s answer to Monty Python. “Ant Man” was […]
Millennial ‘Groundhog Day’ ‘Happy Death Day’ is no ‘Groundhog Day,’ but it’s not terrible (Movie review)
“Groundhog Day” (1993) is of course the touchstone of the “repeating the same day” genre, so when another film comes along with that premise, it’s intriguing, but it also gives me pause: Will it merely […]
‘Cloverfield Paradox’ pays lip service to science, turns into a familiar space thriller (Movie review)
“The Cloverfield Paradox” (which recently debuted on Netflix), the third installment of the loosely connected Cloververse saga, takes topical physics such as the recently discovered God Particle and the popular multiverse theory and smashes them […]
‘American Made’ compares favorably with ‘Narcos’ as an old-school drug-trade thriller (Movie review)
Something about the ’80’s/’90s Mexican and Colombian drug scene really appeals to me, so I was excited for “American Made” (2017). Then after watching the excellent Netflix series “Narcos,” I kind of expected to be […]
Surprisingly funny ‘Girls Trip’ is the female answer to ‘The Hangover’ (Movie review)
So I got “Girls Trip” (2017) because my wife and a friend were dying to see it. They watched it by themselves before I did and told me that it was terrible: “It wasn’t funny, […]
‘The Shape of Water’ turns ‘E.T.’ into a romance for adults (Movie review)
Director and co-writer Guillermo del Toro puts a lot of winning elements from successful films into a blender and delivers “The Shape of Water” (2017), now in theatrical wide release. Mixing familiar substance with loads […]
‘Blade Runner 2049’ is gorgeous … and slooooow
Movie review: This long-awaited sequel indulges in its evocative settings and vibe.
‘The Post’ fondly recalls the old days of a respected press, war protests (Movie review)
One of my bosses encouraged us to attend “The Post” (2017) – which recently got a wide theatrical release – to rekindle our passion for newspapering. The film encourages some of that spirit, no doubt, but […]