Ride the Eagle: A Heartfelt Comedy

Ride the Eagle is a heartfelt comedy that feels timely and should be able to resonate with audiences well over a year into the pandemic. Leif (Jake Johnson) doesn’t have the best relationship with his mother, Honey (Susan Sarandon). The two of them are estranged when she passes away. It’s not like it was any one thing that set them apart. She made choices that Leif didn’t agree with and the rest is history. Nobody…

"Ride the Eagle: A Heartfelt Comedy"

Dead Poets Society: Remembering Robin Williams

Robin Williams may have been famous because of his comedy work but his non-comedy role in Dead Poets Society is one of his best performances. “Carpe diem. Seize the day, boys. Make your lives extraordinary.” – John Keating (Robin Williams) I try and watch a film every year in Robin William’s memory. Last year, it was Hook. Next year might be Good Will Hunting even if I hold my review for the film’s 25th anniversary.…

"Dead Poets Society: Remembering Robin Williams"

Malice at the Palace Kicks Off Untold Doc Series

Malice at the Palace, which revisits the Pacers/Pistons game, is the first film in a five-part weekly Untold documentary series streaming on Netflix. One can look at Untold serving as Netflix’s response to ESPN’S 30 for 30 series. After all, they are both a stand-alone documentary series. Chapman Way and Maclain Way developed the series, which aims to go behind the headlines with the people who made the news. This initial edition offers five different…

"Malice at the Palace Kicks Off Untold Doc Series"

Infinitum: Subject Unknown: A Time Loop Film

Infinitum: Subject Unknown is a British sci-fi film that came about during the first British lockdown of the Covid-19 pandemic. Director/co-writer Matthew Butler-Hart and actress/co-writer Tori Butler-Hart make the best of the Covid lockdown. All sorts of creatives had their lives put on hold for much of early 2020. At least until filmmakers were able to figure out how to make movies safely during a pandemic. Matthew Butler-Hart shoots the film on an iPhone. When…

"Infinitum: Subject Unknown: A Time Loop Film"

Respect: Jennifer Hudson Shines As Aretha Franklin

Aretha Franklin might not have lived to see Respect on the screen but Jennifer Hudson shines in the new biopic about the Queen of Soul. The thing about biopics, let alone musical biopics, is figuring out where you want to focus the story. You have to go about the right angle because once you commit to depicting a lengthy time period, a film either will work or it won’t. Respect doesn’t spend much time focusing…

"Respect: Jennifer Hudson Shines As Aretha Franklin"

Take Me Out to the Ball Game: A Musical Classic

Frank Sinatra and Gene Kelly star as a pair of baseball players who moonlight as vaudeville comedians in Take Me Out to the Ball Game. It’s late in the first decade of the 1900s when part-time vaudeville comedians Eddie O’Brien (Gene Kelly) and Dennis Ryan (Frank Sinatra) make the way to Florida to train for the upcoming season. When they’re not performing vaudeville, they are the shortstop and second baseman for the Chicago Wolves, respectively.…

"Take Me Out to the Ball Game: A Musical Classic"

Free Guy Is A Rocking Good Time

The long-delayed Free Guy offers audiences a rocking good time as the Shawn Levy-directed film starring Ryan Reynolds hits the big screen. I’m a fan of Shawn Levy and will see anything that he directs. Ryan Reynolds turns in another solid Ryan Reynolds performance that only Ryan Reynolds can do. Listen, there are other actors but Ryan Reynolds is Guy. He’s got the charming humor required to pull off the performance. There aren’t many other…

"Free Guy Is A Rocking Good Time"

Vivo: Lin-Manuel Miranda Can Do No Wrong

Lin-Manuel Miranda is having himself a strong year and Vivo is no exception as audiences will have a lot of fun watching this one. Vivo (Lin-Manuel Miranda) is a kinkajou or what we otherwise refer to as the rainforest “honey bear.” Not just any regular kinkajou but a one-of-a-kind one. He can dance and sing! He spends his time in the town square with his human, Andrés (Juan de Marcos), where the two of them…

"Vivo: Lin-Manuel Miranda Can Do No Wrong"

Annette: Sparks Musical Requires A Trigger Warning

The new Sparks musical film, Annette, requires a trigger warning because Adam Driver portrays an emotionally abusive comedian. The gist of the film is that Henry McHenry (Adam Driver) falls in love with a renowned opera singer, Ann Defrasnoux (Marion Cotillard). The two of them tie the knot and have a kid, Annette. Annette’s birth changes everything–Henry starts to crash and burn while Ann keeps flying high. If there’s a dictionary definition for odd couples,…

"Annette: Sparks Musical Requires A Trigger Warning"

The Princess Diaries Marks 20th Anniversary

The Princess Diaries, the Garry Marshall film that put Anne Hathaway on the map, marks the 20th anniversary since its 2001 release. The gist of the film sees the shy Mia Thermopolis (Anne Hathaway) learning that she’s actually the heir to the throne of Genovia. Imagine living your entire life not knowing that you’re royalty! How her mom, Helen Thermopolis (Caroline Goodall), managed to hide this is beyond me! Everything changes for Mia when her…

"The Princess Diaries Marks 20th Anniversary"