Can we talk for a moment about how the heroes on ‘Chilling Adventures of Sabrina’ are Satan worshipers?
TV review: It’s fascinating how much this Netflix comic adaptation is allowed to get away with in Season 1.
Teen Drama
Can we talk for a moment about how the heroes on ‘Chilling Adventures of Sabrina’ are Satan worshipers?
‘Big Mouth’ is the next iteration of Things You Can Do on Television – and it’s also darn funny (TV review)
Netflix’s “Big Mouth” – which recently released its second season — marks the latest sea change in Things You Can Do on Television, as it chronicles 12- and 13-year-olds entering puberty. But unlike “The Simpsons” […]
First episode impressions: ‘All American’ (TV review)
In “All American” (9 p.m. Eastern Wednesdays on The CW), Spencer James (Daniel Ezra) gets a chance to move from gang territory to a safe neighborhood to play football, coached by a former NFL player, […]
‘Eighth Grade’ goes inside the heart and mind of an outsider many of us can relate to (Movie review)
Ah, a tale of a kid who feels like an outsider. It’s not exactly untapped territory for a movie, yet comedian Bo Burnham, in his assured debut as a writer-director, approaches this material with tones […]
Pitch-black ‘Thoroughbreds’ a meditative portrait of empathy-challenged teenagers (Movie review)
People who lack emotions, ironically, can spur conflicted emotions in filmgoers. As Amanda (“Ready Player One’s” Olivia Cooke) says in “Thoroughbreds,” since she doesn’t feel emotions, she has to work harder to be good. As […]
‘Blockers’ is a sweet but safe gender-swapped ‘American Pie’ (Movie review)
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 […]
‘Marvel’s Cloak & Dagger’ aims for teen viewers on Freeform
First episode impressions (TV review): The MCU branches out to Freeform for “Cloak & Dagger.”
‘Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom’ and 9 other movies John wouldn’t mind seeing in Summer 2018
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 […]
First episode impressions: ‘Rise’ (TV review)
I was never involved in theater in school, but I learned to appreciate it during my years covering arts and entertainment for newspapers (even if my love of music, movies and TV was why I initially […]
Gerwig delivers beautiful love letter to Sacramento, but Lady Bird herself remains a cipher (Movie review)
“Lady Bird,” now available from Redbox, didn’t totally connect with me, and since the glowing theatrical reviews and awards are long since in, that statement says more about me than writer Greta Gerwig’s directorial debut. […]