There just isn’t enough story to carry Olivia Wilde’s “Don’t Worry Darling” through a feature length running time. While the premise is there, the screenplay (from Katie Silberman, and Carey & Shane Van Dyke) fails to have anything new or interesting to say about the film’s themes, nor does Wilde have the skills as a director to pull it all off. In an attempt to mix different genres, the ... more >
MOVIES
A good idea sabotaged by inconsistent filmmaking: “DON’T WORRY DARLING” | FILM REVIEW
Starring Florence Pugh, Harry Styles and Chris Pine
Directed by Olivia Wilde
Josh Duhamel stars in “BANDIT” | FILM REVIEW
Josh Duhamel, Elisha Cuthbert, Nestor Carbonell and Mel Gibson
Directed by Allan Ungar
From the start, Allan Ungar’s “Bandit” takes the wrong storytelling route, in both its screenplay and casting of the lead role. Kraig Wenman adapted Ed Arnold and Robert Knuckle’s novel “The Flying Bandit: Bringing Down Canada's Most Daring Armed Robber,” morphing this undeniably exciting true tale into a comedy of errors, sort of. Sadly, the true error is in the screenplay. The film is ... more >
“CONFESS, FLETCH” | REVIEW
Starring Jon Hamm, Marcia Gay Harden and Kyle MacLachlan
Directed by Greg Mottola
Greg Mottola’s “Confess, Fletch” is an absolute delight. Smartly written and consistently funny, this is one of most entertaining films of 2022. Although inevitable, Mottola’s picture shouldn’t be compared with Michael Ritchie’s 1985 “Fletch” starring Chevy Chase, as the two films are cut from a different cloth. Ritchie’s was very much a product of the eighties. Once Chevy Chase was cast, ... more >
“SPIN ME ROUND” | THE REVIEW
Starring Alison Brie, Jake Picking and Stella Chestnut
Directed by Jeff Baena
The screenplay for "Spin me Round" (written by lead actress Alison Brie and filmmaker Jeff Baena) works for much of the film--until it falls into a hole of idiosyncrasies. There is a lot going on with this unique film, the best being the deceptively anti-romantic view of the text. Where most films find grand (and mostly clichéd) romance in a story like this, “Spin Me Round” is smarter than ... more >
“DAY SHIFT” starring Dave Franco and Jamie Foxx | REVIEW
Starring Dave Franco, Natasha Liu Bordizzo and Jamie Foxx
Directed by J.J. Perry
As the new film “Day Shift” proves mixing the horror genre with action is tough. Adding in comedy is even harder. Director J.J. Perry’s feature length debut doesn’t always hit its mark but entertains nonetheless thanks to a focused first half and a good cast. Less a pure Horror effort and more of an amusement park ride, director Perry goes for the fun of it all. The always entertaining ... more >
“THE TERRITORY,” exploring the essence of land and belonging in the Amazon
Neidinha Bandeira and Bitaté Uru Eu Wau Wau
Directed by Alex Fritz
As the opening of director Alex Pritz’s interesting new documentary “The Territory,” informs us, the Uru-eu-wau-wau people of Brazil were discovered by the country’s government in the eighties. The area of Uru-Eu-Wau-Wau occupation went from the valleys of the Madeira (to the north), Machado (to the east), Guaporé (to the south) rivers and on to the Mamoré (to the west), according to available ... more >
REVIEW | A lemon and a Ladybug walk into the café car; “BULLET TRAIN”
Brad Pitt, Brian Tyree Henry and Aaron Taylor-Johnson
Directed by David Leitch
Near the end of the new action headache “Bullet Train” a character is trying to stop the titular train as it speeds out of control. Desperately trying every switch and button he screams for the roaring machine to stop. After the first forty-five minutes of “Train” I wanted the same thing. “Bullet Train” is a live-action cartoon of violence and over-the-top madness that entertains but runs ... more >