Review: “Ticket to Paradise”

“Ticket to Paradise,” director Ol Parker’s Bali-set romantic comedy, closes with a good old-fashioned blooper reel playing over the end credits. In the footage, stars Julia Roberts and George Clooney goof off, riff off each other, laugh hysterically, and just seem to overall be having a great time in each other’s company. The pair, who […]

Read More Review: “Ticket to Paradise”

Review: “Falling for Figuro”

The romantic comedy genre has touched almost every imaginable environment or scenario, but I can’t think of one set in the world of opera. Director Ben Lewin’s “Falling for Figuro,” which follows rival opera singers who fall in love, may ultimately adhere to the expectations of the genre, but it also occasionally subverts them, and […]

Read More Review: “Falling for Figuro”

Streaming Movie Recap: September 2020

September’s streaming releases are largely dominated by some big movies from Netflix, from Charlie Kaufman’s latest and the all-star ensemble of “The Devil All the Time” to the controversial “Cuties” and the crowd-pleasing period piece “Enola Holmes.”  Read my reviews of those movies and more below. “I’M THINKING OF ENDING THINGS” (Netflix) “I’m Thinking of […]

Read More Streaming Movie Recap: September 2020

Review: “The Lovebirds”

A romantic comedy starring the funny and talented Kumail Nanjiani and Issa Rae and directed by Michael Showalter (who helmed the poignant and unique 2017 rom-com “The Big Sick,” also starring Nanjiani) sounds like a definite winner.  But Nanjiani and Rae’s talents outshine the script for their new movie “The Lovebirds,” which fails to do […]

Read More Review: “The Lovebirds”

Review: “Last Christmas”

2.5 out of 5 stars. “Last Christmas, I gave you my heart, but the very next day, you gave it away.”  We all know the words to “Last Christmas,” the iconic holiday favorite by Wham!  And that knowledge just adds to the painful predictability of the movie “Last Christmas,” a sort of rom-com directed by […]

Read More Review: “Last Christmas”

Review: “Long Shot”

4 out of 5 stars. At first glance, Charlize Theron and Seth Rogen seem to be an unusual pairing.  Their unexpected chemistry plays a large part in “Long Shot,” a romantic comedy in which Theron plays powerful and elegant Secretary of State Charlotte Field and Rogen plays awkward and funny journalist Fred Flarsky.  They unexpectedly […]

Read More Review: “Long Shot”

Review: “Crazy Rich Asians”

4 out of 5 stars. “Crazy Rich Asians” is the first film produced by a Hollywood studio to boast an all-Asian principal cast in 25 years.  They are a minority who are often either grossly under-represented, or poorly represented, in major American films.  And while “Crazy Rich Asians,” which is based on the novel of […]

Read More Review: “Crazy Rich Asians”