Review: “Mortal Kombat” (2021)

I knew before I even started to watch “Mortal Kombat” that it was not made for me. I have only a cursory familiarity with the video games it is based on, and have not seen the 90s movies that it is a reboot of (1997’s “Mortal Kombat: Annihilation” was in particular a critical and commercial […]

Review: “Best Summer Ever”

Plot-wise, there isn’t much that is new about the musical “Best Summer Ever,” directed by Michael Parks Randa and Lauren Smitelli. The story involves two teens who meet at a dance summer camp and fall in love before going their separate ways. Tony (Ricky Wilson Jr.) is supposedly going home to New York, where he […]

Oscar Predictions 2021

Happy Oscar weekend movie friends—we made it! This awards season and this year has been so different, and I’ll be the first to admit that I’ve had some trouble keeping up, from the lack of theatrical releases to virtual film festivals to the extended eligibility for this awards season to the postponement of the 93rd […]

Cinema Classics: “Mrs. Miniver” (1942)

Winston Churchill once claimed that the film “Mrs. Miniver” did more for the war effort than a “flotilla of destroyers.” It is certainly a wonderful film as well as a bit of a historical relic, an American-made movie giving a glimpse into what the citizens of Great Britain were up against, right before the U.S. […]

Cinema Classics: “Gentleman’s Agreement” (1947)

“Gentlemen’s Agreement” is not a favorite of mine. At times, it drags. Few of the characters are very likeable. Even director Elia Kazan later said that he didn’t care for this movie, despite winning an Oscar for it—the relationships, he believed, felt forced, and the film overall lacked passion. That much is true, but “Gentleman’s […]

Cinema Classics: “La Strada” (1954)

Italian director Federico Fellini considered “La Strada” (“The Road”) to be his most personal film. The story of two people who stay together without really knowing why came to him first in the form of vague, somber feelings, with the lead female character ultimately being inspired by his wife Giulietta Masina. Masina ending up playing that […]

Cinema Classics: “Roman Holiday” (1953)

William Wyler’s “Roman Holiday” is more than a romantic comedy; to watch it is to see a real-life fairytale unfold onscreen. The Cinderella-like plot involves Princess Ann (Audrey Hepburn), the ruler of an unknown country, who embarks on a European tour. While in Rome, stifled by her sheltered life, Ann escapes the embassy for one […]

Cinema Classics: “Gigi” (1958)

From the advent of talking pictures, MGM Studios became known for producing lavish musicals. Their credits include such landmark films as “The Wizard of Oz”, “Singin’ in the Rain”, and “Gigi”, the latter being the one that many consider the last great MGM musical. “Gigi” is so French it almost parodies the lavish culture and people […]

Cinema Classics: “Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans” (1927)

We are one week away from the 93rd Academy Awards, so this week I’ll be counting down with some reviews of some of my favorite winners from past ceremonies. Perhaps the best way to emphasize the importance of director F.W. Murnau’s landmark film “Sunrise” is to look at the Oscars it won at the very […]

Review: “Shiva Baby”

“Shiva Baby” may be billed as a comedy, but the story that unfolds on screen plays out more like a horror film than anything else. Writer/director Emma Seligman’s debut feature is almost unbearably tense and uncomfortable, but also riotously funny, all while conveying a deep understanding of her main character, a young woman whose life […]