Released: Tuesday, March 2, 2021 (VOD) →Sundance 2021 Premiere Written by: Jim Shepard; Ron Hansen Directed by: Mona Fastvold Mona Fastvold's The World to Come, a beguiling romance set on the American frontier, is often literally perched on the edge of light and dark. Though its many contrasts are obvious they're not always literal. This is a love … Continue reading The World to Come
movie review
Just a Quick Thought
Well it's been a minute. Actually it has been the longest stretch of no posting since the earliest days of the blog, since my "hiatus" from July 2011 until March 2012, a period that abruptly ended when I saw Todd Phillips' Project X and felt compelled to go on the internet to complain about it afterwards. … Continue reading Just a Quick Thought
Palm Springs
Release: Friday, July 10, 2020 (Hulu) →Hulu Written by: Andy Siara Directed by: Max Barbakow Palm Springs, a buzzy new Hulu original starring Andy Samberg, Cristin Milioti and J.K. Simmons, for me has an unusual distinction. This romantic comedy about two strangers stuck in a time loop at a wedding boasts one of the best post-credits scenes I've … Continue reading Palm Springs
Buffaloed
Release: Friday, February 14, 2020 (limited) →Hulu Written by: Brian Sacca Directed by: Tanya Wexler Buffaloed is a great example of why I love Zoey Deutch. I haven't always loved the movies she's been in -- Why Him? (which I've seen) and Dirty Grandpa (which I make my life goal to avoid) I like to think are good … Continue reading Buffaloed
Terminator: Dark Fate
Release: Friday, November 1, 2019 →On Demand Written by: David Goyer; Justin Rhodes; Billy Ray Directed by: Tim Miller Terminator: Dark Fate is the best installment in the series since Judgment Day and it's not even close. That said, having never been a die-hard I have gotten along pretty well with most* of the sequels, even the mind-bendingly-complex-and-not-in-a-good-way Terminator Genisys, … Continue reading Terminator: Dark Fate
The Night Clerk
Release: Friday, February 21, 2020 →Netflix Written by: Michael Cristofer Directed by: Michael Cristofer The problem with The Night Clerk is not its depiction of a developmental disorder or that it tries to be two movies in one. It's that those two elements -- character study cum genre film -- don't properly coalesce. It works actually quite well as … Continue reading The Night Clerk
The Lovebirds
Release: Friday, May 22, 2020 (Netflix) →Netflix Written by: Aaron Abrams; Brendan Gall; Martin Gero Directed by: Michael Showalter The entertaining but uneven The Lovebirds gives one the impression director Michael Showalter wanted to do something more laidback and lightweight following The Big Sick. While The Lovebirds has a few of the elements that made his 2017 romantic comedy such a … Continue reading The Lovebirds
Zombieland: Double Tap
Release: Friday, October 18, 2019 →On Demand Written by: Rhett Reese; Paul Wernick; Dave Callaham Directed by: Ruben Fleischer I'm not much of a zombie guy but I have a lot of time for Zombieland. The original, now over a decade old, was this fun little hang-out movie set at the end of the world, a nice, self-contained story that … Continue reading Zombieland: Double Tap
Harpoon
Release: Friday, October 4, 2019 (limited) →Showtime Written by: Rob Grant; Mike Kovac Directed by: Rob Grant Harpoon is a horror-comedy set at sea that is bizarrely compelling considering what actually happens in 80 short minutes. It's a vicious little social experiment concocted by writer/director Rob Grant, who quite brilliantly uses little more than the bare essentials … Continue reading Harpoon
Angel Has Fallen
Release: Friday, August 23, 2019 →Netflix Written by: Robert Mark Kamen; Matt Cook; Ric Roman Waugh Directed by: Ric Roman Waugh Angel Has Fallen is the third but definitely not last installment in the Fallen action movie franchise. That there are enough of these movies to justify the word 'franchise' seems an indictment of the American Secret Service. How … Continue reading Angel Has Fallen