Leading Lady: Sherry Lansing Bio Is A Must-Read

Leading Lady: Sherry Lansing and the Making of a Hollywood Groundbreaker, written by Stephen Galloway, is a superb biography. One does not have to get far into this book to realize how quickly paced it is. Galloway’s prose reads as if it were a novel even though this book is a non-fiction biography of one of the few female executives to head a Hollywood studio. It was never supposed to be this way, however, because…

"Leading Lady: Sherry Lansing Bio Is A Must-Read"

A Star Is Born: A Tale As Old As Time

A Star Is Born, the devastating romantic drama released in 1937, explores Hollywood stardom through the rise and fall of Hollywood stars. If you’ve seen any of the four feature films, you already know the basic gist of the plot. I’ve only seen two of them. But in this film, Esther Blodgett (Janet Gaynor) is an aspiring actress and moves from Kansas to Hollywood. By chance, she meets Norman Maine (Fredric March), a veteran film…

"A Star Is Born: A Tale As Old As Time"

Tropic Thunder: War Satire Goes To Extremes

Tropic Thunder, the Vietnam War satire directed by Ben Stiller and released in 2008, goes to extremes with all sorts of surprises. This year marks the 13th anniversary and while Tropic Thunder may be one of the edgiest satires I’ve ever seen, it certainly hasn’t aged well. There is language in this film that we don’t use anymore. A whole sequences in the film features a derogatory slur repeated at a mile a minute. The…

"Tropic Thunder: War Satire Goes To Extremes"

Beckett: Netflix Thriller Fails to Thrill

The point of a thriller movie is to thrill the audience but unfortunately, Beckett fails to do so as the film makes its arrival on Netflix. While many of us are staying home because of the pandemic, we’re counting on films to take us on a vacation. It could be anywhere from NYC to LA to a location in this film like Greece. Beckett (John David Washington) is an American tourist on vacation in Greece.…

"Beckett: Netflix Thriller Fails to Thrill"

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"

What If…?: Animated Series Depicts A Different MCU

Marvel Studios’ What If…? takes what we know as the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) but delivers the animated action with a twist. The series draws on the Marvel Comics anthology series of the same name. Like the comic series, this is also an anthology series. We revisit key moments of the MCU through the eyes of Marvel newcomer Jeffrey Wright, who voices The Watcher, and see what would happen had characters done A instead of…

"What If…?: Animated Series Depicts A Different MCU"

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"