Review: “The Father”

One of the hardest yet most inevitable things in life is for the child become the parent. Most stories portray this challenge through the eyes of the child, but in “The Father,” the titular figure is the focus. Writer and director Florian Zeller bends and shapes reality around Anthony (Anthony Hopkins), an elderly man suffering […]

Review: “Zack Snyder’s Justice League”

There’s a lot of baggage and mixed feelings associated with the so-called Snyder Cut of the 2017 film “Justice League” for me. On the one hand, it’s nice that director Snyder, who stepped away from the production following the death of his daughter Autumn, gets the opportunity to finish a project he is obviously quite […]

Streaming Movie Reviews, March

March is here, and with the changing season we’re already seeing a turn toward big movie releases- so far this month we’ve seen the long-awaited sequel to the Eddie Murphy classic “Coming to America,” and the Russo Brothers reteaming with star Tom Holland for “Cherry.” Disney Animation’s newest feature, “Raya and the Last Dragon,” is […]

Streaming Movie Reviews: February, Part 3

Here are my last lingering reviews of winter releases before we finally move on to the spring! Keep scrolling for short reviews of “The United States vs. Billie Holiday (for which star Andra Day recently won a Golden Globe), “Palmer,” “Flora & Ulysses,” and “The Map of Tiny Perfect Things.” “PALMER” (Apple TV Plus) It […]

Streaming Movie Reviews: February, Part 2

Here are a few more mini reviews for some recent streaming movies: the wicked satire “I Care A Lot” (for which Rosamund Pike recently won a Golden Globe), and two sci-fi films: “Bliss” and “Space Sweepers.” “I CARE A LOT” (Netflix) It can be difficult to become invested in a movie with no likeable characters, […]

Streaming Movie Reviews: February, Part 1

We’re a week into March, the “Malcolm & Marie” discourse has long since faded away, but I’m finally back with a round of mini reviews for movies released on streaming services in February (and also some from January, because it’s been that kind of year). “MALCOLM & MARIE” (Netflix) I have to say, there is […]

Review: “Tom and Jerry” (2021)

The oddest thing about the new “Tom and Jerry” film is that the titular cat and mouse rivals aren’t even really the stars of their own movie. The live-action/animated hybrid directed by Tim Story places its human characters in the center, the cartoon characters feeling more like comedic ornaments that adorn the scene as needed. […]

Review: “Barb & Star Go to Vista Del Mar”

I have a confession: as popular and acclaimed as it was, I never really cared for the 2011 comedy “Bridesmaids.” So I initially wasn’t particularly excited about “Barb & Star Go to Vista Del Mar,” a new comedy from the same writing duo of Kristen Wiig and Annie Mumolo (who also star). But “Barb & […]

Review: “Raya and the Last Dragon”

When we first meet Raya, she is alone—alone, with the exception of her giant roly poly friend, Tuk Tuk. This image of a lone warrior traveling through a desolate landscape on a quest is an iconic one (the familiarity of which the Raya immediately acknowledges), but the endgame is not that Raya remains a mysterious […]

Review: “Minari”

Minari is a plant originally from East Asia known for its ability to grow almost anywhere it’s planted. The metaphor of minari in regards to the Yi family at the focus of writer and director Lee Isaac Chung’s drama of the same name sounds heavy-handed, but in practice it, like most of Chung’s film, is […]