Reacher
I won’t speculate about how Amazon Studios’s Reacher will play for those unfamiliar with Lee Child’s books or fans of the Tom Cruise films based on the same character. I… Continue reading "Reacher"
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We Need to Talk About Cosby (Bell, 2022)
Can a film be simultaneously essential and disappointing? I ask because I feel like we do need to talk about Cosby — or at least I do. But while the… Continue reading "We Need to Talk About Cosby (Bell, 2022)"
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Road to Perth (Peter, 2021)
When I was in graduate school (yea, many years ago), I once earned an “A” on a paper from a respected mentor who was hardly a pushover. When I tried… Continue reading "Road to Perth (Peter, 2021)"
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The 355 (Kinberg, 2022)
The 355 is a new movie only in the sense that it has not been previously released in the United States and is not a remake. Beyond that, it is… Continue reading "The 355 (Kinberg, 2022)"
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2021 Top 10
The theatrical movie experience painfully went away in 2020, and it painfully returned in 2021. Part of what made it so was the realization that I did not miss it… Continue reading "2021 Top 10"
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Poetry in America, Season 3
I tell my students that I am a prose guy, not a poetry guy. So the fact that I enjoy PBS’s weekly lessons about famous American poems should reassure anyone… Continue reading "Poetry in America, Season 3"
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Dune (Villeneuve, 2021)
You may think you’re cool, but you’ll never be “Timothée Chalamet walking in slow motion along a rocky coast under floating spaceships to a Hans Zimmer score” cool. Dune: Part… Continue reading "Dune (Villeneuve, 2021)"
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American Underdog (Erwin and Erwin, 2021)
I have been writing the same review of Erwin films for nearly a decade, so here it is: better than it has to be but not as good as it… Continue reading "American Underdog (Erwin and Erwin, 2021)"
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The Jesus Music (Erwin and Erwin, 2021)
Both Amy Grant and Michael W. Smith are listed as Executive Producers of The Jesus Music. While not disqualifying, this fact may go a way to explaining why the film… Continue reading "The Jesus Music (Erwin and Erwin, 2021)"
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West Side Story (Spielberg, 2021)
For twenty to thirty minutes, Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story glides along on the strength of choreography and snappy (no pun intended) visual storytelling. Almost, I was convinced. But dissatisfaction… Continue reading "West Side Story (Spielberg, 2021)"