In the newest American Masters, one of the greatest ballplayers to ever play the game gets profiled in Ted Williams: “The Greatest Hitter Who Ever Lived.” Ted Williams’ final stats from his playing days should carry an asterisk. Not because of performance-enhancing drugs but because of the five years lost to military service. Williams first served time in the U.S. Marines and lost out on three seasons. Despite leaving, he would join the Reserves. When…
"Ted Williams: “The Greatest Hitter Who Ever Lived”"Month: July 2018
Paula Eiselt’s documentary, 93Queen, takes us into the world of the all-female Chasidic emergency volunteers, Ezras Nashim. If you’re like me, you know a lot about the nuances of Orthodox Judaism and the sub-sects within it. If you’re not like me, you’re in for a treat. There’s a lot more to Orthodox Judaism than what you see in the movies. We don’t have horns and not everyone wears a black hat. Some Orthodox Jews work…
"93Queen: Chasidic Women Get Empowered"
The Man Who Killed Hitler And Then The Bigfoot may sound like the craziest thing ever but this film is is more of a character study than anything else. Sam Elliott, who delivered an astonishing performance in The Hero last year, as a World War 2 veteran, Calvin Barr. When we first meet him, he’s just sitting there at the bar. There’s a sense of something troubling Calvin but we don’t see anything other than…
"Fantasia 2018: The Man Who Killed Hitler And Then The Bigfoot"
It’s surprising that Equalizer 2 is the first sequel in which Denzel Washington revisits any of his previous roles. The fact that this hasn’t happened already is astonishing in its own right. It bares noting that I went into the sequel’s screening without having watched the original 2014 film. Let me tell you from the get go, I don’t recommend seeing sequels without their predecessor. It won’t be the first time nor will it be…
"Equalizer 2: More Equalizing"
While there are some things in the film that haven’t aged well, Drop Dead Gorgeous is still able to offer up a ton of laughs in the dark comedy. A short video introduces us to the Sarah Rose American Teen Princess Pageant hosted by Batman himself, Adam West. The video may not exactly set up the tone for what we’re going to expect but we’re in for a treat. Once those accents start up, we know we’re…
"Drop Dead Gorgeous is Campy, Hysterical"
Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again! takes us back to the Greek island of Kalokairi for a fun musical journey through time between past and present. If there is one thing that Ol Parker learned from the first film, it’s a little bit of Pierce Brosnan singing goes a long way. Brosnan was heavily criticized for his singing in the first film and rightfully so. This time around, something is different. Brosnan’s singing is more or…
"Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again Is A Fun Time"
Writer-director Eugene Jarecki uses journey of Elvis Presley in The King as a way of showing us the rise and fall of the American Dream. It’s an interesting premise. The King isn’t an outright documentary of Elvis Presley. There are clips of Elvis as the singer was making his rise. We get a number of celebrities discussing Elvis while riding in his car. The film traces us through some of Presley’s locations. At the center…
"The King: Elvis Presley’s Life as An American Dream"
Don’t Worry, He Won’t Get Far On Foot is carried largely on the heels of actor Joaquin Phoenix. The new film from writer-director Gus Van Sant tells the story of Portland cartoonist John Callahan (Joaquin Phoenix). The way the film tells Callahan’s story is alright but it could certainly have been improved. One moment, we’ll see him addressing a huge crowd. The next minute, he’s walking or bedridden in a hospital. I wouldn’t have minded…
"Don’t Worry, He Won’t Get Far On Foot"
Blindspotting is one of those films in which one knows that they are watching something magical take place and that’s the beauty of the Sundance Film Festival. The colorful film is the product of two friends who both share the same hometown and, as tends to be the case with many indie films, the road has been quite a few years in the making. Carlos López Estrada directs the film from a screenplay written by Rafael…
"Blindspotting Shines Light On Representation"
Starring four of the funniest women on earth, Ghostbusters: Answer the Call honors the spirit of the 1984 classic film. While it would have been nice to have seen the likes of Peter Venkman, Raymond Stantz, and Winston Zeddemore pass the baton to a new generation, Harold Ramis’ death in 2014 would forever change the face of the franchise. Never mind just how hard it is getting Bill Murray to sign on board for anything. With that out…
"Ghostbusters: Answer the Call"