“Disobedience” Finds Glimmers of Hope in a Restrictive World
Sometimes you don’t have to go too far afield to find worlds that feel utterly foreign. The Orthodox Jewish community at the center of the film “Disobedience” is one that will likely look exceedingly strange to the average person. On display in the story are archaic rituals, ultra-conservative beliefs at odds with modern sensibilities, and […]
Worlds, Characters, and Shocks Collide in “Avengers: Infinity War”
Now that Marvel Studios’ ginormous, star-studded, all-hands-on-deck, tentpole “Avengers: Infinity War” has opened and broken worldwide box office records with a take of $630 million worldwide, plot spoilers are everywhere. Thus, this review can critique the whole of the movie, not just its basic premise, and more wholly address the controversies and shocks dominating most […]
Charlize Theron Strikes the Motherlode in “Tully”
It’s very early in the year, but the Oscars very likely have their first Best Actress nominee. Charlize Theron gives such a commanding, blistering, and raw performance in the new dramedy “Tully” that the Academy would be fools to ignore it. The rest of the film is almost as strong as she is but make […]
“Ghost Stories” is an Ambitious Tale of That Which Haunts
Are ghosts real? That question seems to be the central premise of the new movie “GHOST STORIES” as it starts. Written and directed by Jeremy Dyson and Andy Nyman, and available in the US on VOD, it tees up its premise with a character named Professor Phillip Goodman (Nyman, yet again) who does not believe […]
“The Terror” chills to the bone in setting and style
On paper, the adaptation of Dan Simmons’ 2007 novel “The Terror” would seem to be a tough sell. It is a period piece that takes place in the mid-nineteenth century. Its setting is the brutal Arctic. And its stoic British naval characters are a hard lot to like. Yet, even with all those barriers, the […]
