The films of the “American Pie” trilogy open with Jim caught in an embarrassing – and to the audience, hilarious – sexual situation by his parents. Nearly two decades later, “Blockers” – which features three […]
First episode impressions (TV review): The MCU branches out to Freeform for “Cloak & Dagger.”
John’s “Broken Flowers” flashback review, April 15, 2021 “Broken Flowers” — This unofficial companion piece to “Lost in Translation” finds a numb Bill Murray visiting all his old girlfriends, with decidedly different results. Great scene: One […]
“Sideways” — This road trip movie combines two character arcs (Paul Giamatti is a romantic dunce, Thomas Hayden-Church is a little too good at landing the ladies) with a passion for wine (which could stand in […]
The idea of “summer movies” is already past its time, as “Black Panther” and “Avengers: Infinity War” prove that “summer” is now year-round in the movie business. Still, old habits die hard – such as […]
“Life Sentence” (9 p.m. Eastern Wednesdays, CW) is notable for being a rare CW show not based on comic books or the supernatural, and unfortunately it’s also notable for being really bad. You’d think there’d […]
“Everything Sucks!” (Netflix), the first season of which includes 10 half-hour episodes, starts off like a second-rate “Freaks and Geeks” but eventually strikes painfully accurate notes about first love and high school crushes. By the […]
“Phantom Thread” – Auteur Paul Thomas Anderson’s latest effort is every bit as pretty as it is pretty empty. Daniel Day Lewis does his level best to single-handedly save the film with his method-acting superpowers, but […]
“Call Me by Your Name” – I know I’m in the minority here, but I was thoroughly, stridently unimpressed with this film. Yes, it is beautifully shot. The performances are great as well, but something […]
John’s “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” Season 3 flashback review, johnvhansen.com, Nov. 28, 2011 NDSU Spectrum: TV review ‘Buffy’: The best show on television By JOHN HANSEN January 1999 “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” is attracting fans […]