‘Anna and the Apocalypse’ (2017) is fun … until the end
Frightening Friday (Movie review): “High School Musical” meets “The Walking Dead” in this riff that starts off fun but chooses the wrong tone later.
Musical
‘Anna and the Apocalypse’ (2017) is fun … until the end
‘West Side Story’ (2021) an ugly tale presented with false beauty
Movie review: Steven Spielberg grandly resurrects the classic stage musical, and it’s unclear if its lack of fresh appeal is accidental or intentional.
‘In the Heights’ not quite great, but hard to hate
Movie review: Based on the stage musical, “In the Heights” has simple arcs and lacks a breakout song, but its people and places are easy to embrace.
‘Wicker Man’ (1973) a thrilling piece of daylight horror history
Frightening Friday (Movie review): “Midsommar” fans should dig this thrilling template of daylight horror.
The top 100 ‘Crazy Ex-Girlfriend’ songs, ranked
Music rankings: Judging the song itself, the choreography and the performances, here are my selections for the top 100 “CXG” songs.
First episode impressions: ‘Crazy Ex-Girlfriend’ Season 4 (TV review)
“Crazy Ex-Girlfriend” (9 p.m. Eastern Fridays, The CW) spends a lot of its Season 4 premiere reminding us where the story is at – and it’s at a very weird place. Rebecca (Rachel Bloom) is […]
‘The Greatest Showman’ is a beautiful celebration of showbiz that doesn’t pretend to be subtle (Movie review)
“The Greatest Showman” (2017), now available for home viewing, takes us back to a time when anything is possible if you dream big and are persistent. Did such a time ever exist? That’s beside the […]
‘Pitch Perfect 3’ is completely off key in formerly fun franchise’s finale (Movie review)
“Pitch Perfect 3” (2017), now available for home viewing, is an unfortunately perfect example of a franchise that keeps going after it has run out of good ideas. Following the fun and catchy original (2013) […]
‘Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog’ reviews
John’s “Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog” flashback review, johnvhansen.com, Sept. 13, 2016 John’s “Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog” review, Brainerd Dispatch, Aug. 21, 2008
‘The Greatest Showman’ wears its heart and its flaws on its sleeve (Movie review)
I was in the tank for “The Greatest Showman” from the first trailer, so take my brief remarks here with a grain of salt.