Review: “Natalie Wood: What Remains Behind”

The questionable circumstances revolving around actress Natalie Wood’s untimely death have frequently overshadowed her prolific career and reputation as a caring wife and mother. Now, her daughter Natasha Gregson Wagner attempts to alter the way we remember her mother as producer of the new documentary “Natalie Wood: What Remains Behind.” Directed by Laurent Bouzereau, the […]

Review: “How to Build a Girl”

The coming-of-age story is a familiar one in film, but rarely does the protagonist go through as many incarnations as Johanna Morrigan does in “How to Build a Girl.” The new movie from IFC Films, which is directed by Coky Giedroyc with a screenplay by Caitlin Moran adapted from her novel of the same name, […]

Review: “Bad Education”

In light of the 2019 college admissions scandal, “Bad Education” feels like a very timely movie. But it’s actually based on a true event that occurred in the early 2000s. Set in the small Long Island town of Roslyn, it explores the largest public school embezzlement scandal in American history. Directed by Cory Finley and […]

Review: “My Darling Vivian”

The romance between Johnny Cash and June Carter is the stuff of legend; theirs is one of the most enduring and beloved modern love stories. But not many people think to consider another part of the story: that of Vivian Liberto, Cash’s first wife and mother of their four daughters. “My Darling Vivian,” a documentary […]

Review: “The Wretched”

“Fun” is not a word I’d use to describe a lot of modern horror movies. But fun is exactly what “The Wretched,”—a new horror movie from IFC Midnight written and directed by brothers Brett and Drew T. Pierce—is. “The Wretched” followed Ben (John-Paul Howard), a teenager grappling with his parents’ separation who goes to spend […]

Streaming Recap: April 2020

How long have we been in isolation now? I don’t really remember myself, and I know I, like surely most of my readers, really miss being able to go to the movie theater. Fortunately, there have been plenty of new movies released on streaming services this month to keep us entertained, including some films that […]

Review: “Trolls World Tour”

2.5 out of 5 stars. If you’re currently bored in isolation, one of Dreamworks Animation’s “Trolls” movies should jolt you out of your slumber—for better or for worse. Forgoing a standard theatrical release and heading straight to home video due to the coronavirus pandemic, “Trolls World Tour”—the sequel to the 2016 hit “Trolls” that was […]

Streaming Recap: March 2020

These days, we’re all spending much more time at home than usual. I know my normal routine of reviewing new movie releases has been severely impacted by movie theaters closing nationwide, and most films slated for spring release being postponed until later in the year. But that means there’s no better time to check out […]

Review: “Onward”

3.5 out of 5 stars. Pixar Animation’s “Onward” is what is probably the studio’s most personal film wrapped in a fantasy adventure. Director and co-writer Dan Scanlon based on the story on the relationship he had with his brother after their father’s passing when they were children. “Onward” is set in a world that is […]

Review: “Emma.” (2020)

4 out of 5 stars. Jane Austen possessed a sensibility about feminism, class, and other social matters that was in many ways ahead of her time. The timeliness and timelessness of her work is always apparent when it is newly adapted, and director Autumn de Wilde and screenwriter Eleanor Catton’s version of “Emma.” is no […]