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 […]

Cinema Classics: “The Young Girls of Rochefort” (1967)

In 1964, French director Jacques Demy’s musical film “The Umbrellas of Cherbourg” (Las parapluies de Cherbourg) was an international sensation, winning the Palmes d’Or at Cannes and being nominated for five Academy Awards. Even watching it today, it’s easy to see why. “Cherbourg” is unique in that it is entirely sung through, as opposed to […]

Throwback Review: “Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day” (2008)

“Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day” is a modern movie with all the hallmarks of a 1930s screwball comedy. The film, set in pre-World War II London, stars Frances McDormand as Guinevere Pettigrew, a governess who just got fired from her fourth job. Desperate, Miss Pettigrew steals a job meant for someone else, but it […]

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 […]

Cinema Classics: “Four Daughters” (1938)

What a crazy couple weeks it has been! The last article I posted was my review of “Onward,” the last film I saw in theaters about two weeks ago. Since then, movie theaters have closed and most major theatrical releases have been postponed until further notice. While that is absolutely the right thing to do […]

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: “Portrait of a Lady on Fire”

5 out of 5 stars. In “Portrait of a Lady on Fire,” we know that Marianne and Héloïse’s relationship is doomed from the start. But that doesn’t make their interactions onscreen any less passionate or romantic; if anything, they are even more so, as the time that they have left together dwindles away. Written and […]

Review: “The Invisible Man”

3.5 out of 5 stars. Monster movies have always been compelling because, as far from reality as they may appear on the surface, we see reflections of the good and the bad in humanity in their stories. This is especially apparent in the new version of “The Invisible Man,” directed by Leigh Whannell and based […]

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 […]

Streaming Recap: February 2020

TIMMY FAILURE: MISTAKES WERE MADE (Disney Plus) A family film based on a popular children’s book series may seem like an odd fit for the director of the Oscar-winning journalism drama “Spotlight.” But with Tom McCarthy at the helm, “Timmy Failure” is a kids’ movie that doesn’t dumb itself down for its audience. Timmy (Winslow […]