In 1971, The Washington Post and The New York Times published revealing, damaging and highly classified documents involving the Vietnam War. These documents, called “the Pentagon Papers,” unveiled shocking revelations regarding former U.S. Presidents and then-current President Richard Nixon. In this Steven Spielberg-directed dramatization, Tom Hanks plays Ben Bradlee, the executive editor of The Washington…
There are no spoilers in my review of Rian Johnson’s “Star Wars: The Last Jedi.” Here’s the loosest of plot summaries: Rey (played by Daisy Ridley) is still on that island with a long-gone Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill). While the other rebels are fighting against the newly assembled evil Empire, Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) remains…
The title character of “Coco,” the new Disney/Pixar CGI masterpiece, is the great-grandmother of Miguel, a young boy and the main protagonist. Initially, it seems odd that the movie would be named after Miguel’s oldest living relative, who is depicted mostly sitting, barely moving and only somewhat aware of what’s going on around her. As…
Writer/director Martin McDonagh’s “Three Billboards Outside Ebbings, Missouri” begins with the reveal that Mildred Hayes (played by Frances McDormand) has rented three massive billboards that sit unattended in a field where town folk occasionally drive past. She pays Red (played by Caleb Landry Jones), the owner of the billboards, to post a three-part message on…
The Super Bowl of comic book movies for the DC Comics universe has finally arrived and it’s a major bust. Years of laying down the narrative ground work, establishing the classic comic book characters in their film forms and finding a way to wrap them all together in one big cinematic tamale has led to…
In this lavish remake of Agatha Christie’s classic mystery, “Murder on the Orient Express,” a long train ride through the snowy wilderness in 1934 is interrupted by a murder. An all-star cast embodies a handful of colorful characters, all of whom become suspects. Unfortunately for the killer at large, one of the passengers is Hercule…
There are names that automatically bring to mind a lifetime of research and empathy towards simians. Dian Fossey’s extensive time with mountain gorillas, Birute Galdikus’ study of orangutans, and Jane Goodall’s experiencing chimpanzees in their natural habitats shaped our understanding of these fascinating hominids. All three were assigned to their research by Dr. Louis Leakey,…
A year later, we learn that the Bad Moms, played by Mila Kunis, Kristen Bell and Kathryn Hahn, are all the product of bad parenting. As if that wasn’t already obvious, we get a movie where their overbearing mothers (skillfully played to the hilt by Susan Sarandon, Cheryl Hines and Christine Baranski) taunt their daughters…
At the start of “Suburbicon,” the 1957-set drama directed by George Clooney, a horrible crime is committed in a vast suburb. Without giving too much away, a woman is murdered in front of her family, a child witnesses the horrifying crime and a visit to the police station only unveils another level of wrongdoings. While…
Here’s a first for me: I bought a ticket to see “Geostorm” and, due to screening room signs being renovated and being pointed in the wrong direction, I walked into the theater showing “Tyler Perry’s Boo 2! A Madea Halloween” instead. Both films started at the same time and, since this was opening night, I…