The television Western genre is long past its heyday. In the fifties and sixties, TV was filled with exciting "Oaters" that glued viewers to their sets and had young kids dreaming to be one of the real-life heroes who fought bad guys with grit, smarts and a six-shooter. While shows like "The Life and Times of Wyatt Earp," "Have Gun Will Travel" and especially "Gunsmoke" would be hard-pressed to ... more >
MOVIES
“LAWMEN: BASS REEVES”; series review
Starring David Oyelowo and Lauren E. Banks
Series created by Chad Feehan
FILM REVIEW: The Todd Haynes-directed “MAY DECEMBER” is a multilayered film that uses deception to mine deeper truths
Starring Natalie Portman, Julianne Moore and Charles Melton
Directed by Todd Haynes
Written by Samy Burch (from a story by Alex Mechanik), the screenplay for Todd Haynes's latest work, "May December," is filled with wit and irony. Haynes's film maintains that sharp edge throughout, but stands, also, as a striking examination of the complexity of human sexuality and attraction that reveals a shattering emotional core in its characters. The film is not-so-loosely based on the ... more >
One of the most affecting films of 2023; “THE HOLDOVERS” | MOVIE REVIEW
Starring Paul Giamatti, Dominic Sessa and Da'Vine Joy Randolph
Directed by Alexander Payne
The seventies were a glorious time for filmmakers. From one film to the next, directors such as Hal Ashby, Jerry Schatzberg, Bob Rafelson (and more) made intoxicating works full of honesty and truth, achieving powerful emotion through rich characters and relatable situations. Through a career of mostly fantastic films, writer/director Alexander Payne has proven he paid close attention to the great ... more >
Daisy Ridley’s in-charge performance as “THE MARSH KING’S DAUGHTER” | MOVIE REVIEW
Starring Daisy Ridley, Ben Mendelsohn, Brooklynn Prince and Gil Birmingham
Directed by Neil Burger
Beginning the year with a moving turn in the Sundance darling, "Sometimes I Think About Dying," Daisy Ridley continues her quest to carve out exciting performances in absorbing films. The actress ends 2023 with Neil Burger's "The Marsh King's Daughter." As with all adaptations of popular mainstream novels, fans of Karen Dionne's 2017 namesake work will likely lead the the book was better charge. ... more >
With “PRISCILLA” Sofia Coppola offers up an alternative version of history | FILM REVIEW
Starring Cailee Spaeny, Jacob Elordi and Ari Cohen
Directed by Sofia Coppola
Sofia Coppola has a precise directing style that keeps her unique and solidifies her as one of the most exciting filmmakers working today. The Oscar-winning director gives her films an artfully European aura. Graceful and ambient, her characters are crafted with precision and honesty and exist in an almost celestial cinematic world. For her latest film, "Priscilla" to come up so emotionally empty ... more >
Clashes of cultures and filial bonding in “THE PERSIAN VERSION” | MOVIE REVIEW
Starring Layla Mohammadi, Niousha Noor and Arty Froushan
Directed by Maryam Keshavarz
Using narration, sprightly pop music, animation and a buoyant dance number, Maryam Kesharvarz's semi-autobiographical "The Persian Version" announces its unabashed free spirit from the opening moments. Leila (an electrifying Layla Mohammadi) tells the story of her experiences being an openly gay woman in a Persian-American family. Comparing Iran and America to divorced parents, the young woman ... more >
Leading the Iceni Peoples in defiance of the Roman Empire; Olga Kurylenko stars in “BOUDICA: QUEEN OF WAR”
Starring Olga Kurylenko, Clive Standen, Peter Franzén and Rita Tushingham
Directed by Jesse V. Johnson
Director Jesse V. Johnson has directed action movies that are more than respectable. He understands the advantage of working with skilled stunt teams and performers and knows how to create good action sequences. His films with Scott Adkins are fun, 2009’s “Triple Threat” was a career highlight as it starred some of the best martial artists alive today in dramatic fight sequences. Mostly setting ... more >