‘The Untouchables’ (1987) a flat telling of the Prohibition battle
Mamet Monday (Movie review): This is a nice-looking but flat telling of the Prohibition battle between Al Capone and Eliot Ness.
Oscars
‘The Untouchables’ (1987) a flat telling of the Prohibition battle
Larson grabs attention in the small-scale ‘Room’ (2015)
Throwback Thursday (Movie review): Before she was Captain Marvel, Brie Larson grabbed attention on a smaller scale.
Peter Farrelly’s ‘Green Book’ a sweet story of friendship against backdrop of mid-century American racism (Movie review)
Writer-director Peter Farrelly smooths out the excesses of his filmmaking traits for the surprisingly mainstream and easy-to-like “Green Book” (2018), now back in theaters and also available for home viewing. It’s not as funny as […]
‘Glengarry Glen Ross’ (1992) is searing, quotable and darkly funny
Mamet Monday (Movie review): Mamet pens a searing yet funny look at cutthroat white-collar workers.
Japanese film ‘Shoplifters’ is a heartfelt exploration of a makeshift family (Movie review)
When I throw around the phrase “makeshift family” in reviews, I’m usually talking about tight groups of friends. But the Japanese film “Shoplifters” (2018) shows us a more literal makeshift family. It’s about six societal castoffs […]
‘The Favourite’ critiques timeless governmental power plays, but isn’t as sharp or funny as it could be (Movie review)
A lot has been made about how horror (“Get Out” last year) and superhero (“Black Panther” this year) films are making inroads with the Oscars, but – in terms of percentage of all films released […]
Cuaron’s ‘Roma’ a partly exhilarating, mostly exhausting, very eye-opening walk in the shoes of a 1970s Mexican maid (Movie review)
With the Oscars coming up, the guilt of constantly scrolling past “Roma” (2018) on Netflix en route to “Daredevil” episodes finally got to me, and I gave the Best Picture nominee a watch. And also, my […]
Malek, music are the stars of too-formulaic ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ (Movie review)
Prior to seeing “Bohemian Rhapsody” (2018), I was hardly a Queen fan. The band’s popularity had faded before I was old enough to appreciate it, and growing up, their music was not something I was into. […]
Cooper, Gaga beautifully update ‘A Star is Born’ for a new generation (Movie review)
I’m usually not a fan of remakes, but I make exceptions if the remake brings a fresh perspective to the material. I can also be won over if the remake is really f****** good. Such […]
‘First Man’ is one small step for space-program cinema, one giant leap for insight into Neil Armstrong (Movie review)
After his love letters to jazz — “Whiplash” (2014) and “La La Land” (2016) — a film fan wouldn’t be surprised if director Damien Chazelle’s next movie was about Louis Armstrong. But “First Man” (2018) […]