The Power of the Dog features gorgeously shot cinematography and splendid performances in Jane Campion’s 1925-set Western. I cannot say enough good things about the film. The acting is top-notch. Benedict Cumberbatch delivers what may very well be the best performance of his career. Kirsten Dunst isn’t too bad herself! However, it’s Kodi Smit-McPhee coming through as the film’s surprise MVP. At first, Phil Burbank (Benedict Cumberbatch) and Peter Gordon (Kodi Smit-McPhee) don’t get along.…
"The Power of the Dog Is Gorgeously Shot"Category: Movie Reviews
A Tree of Life is a must-watch documentary about the 2018 Pittsburgh synagogue shooting, one of the worst antisemitic attacks in the US. October 27, 2018 is a date that the Jewish community will never forget. Eleven Jews–half of the people in the building–died that day. I found out about the act of hate while I was making my way to shul that morning. Over three years later, it’s a terrorist attack that none of…
"A Tree of Life – DOC NYC 2021"
Love Hard takes the idea of catfishing and somehow, albeit terribly, incorporates the concept into a romantic comedy movie on Netflix. It’s not often that you get to watch one of the best films of 2021 and one of the worst films of 2021 in the same week but here we are. I’ll be honest in that I wasn’t planning to write a review of the film, which I decided to watch and see why…
"Love Hard: Catfishing Rom-Com Is A Terrible Movie"
Lin-Manuel Miranda’s feature directorial debut, tick, tick…BOOM!, honors the work of the late Rent creator and composer Jonathan Larson. I’m going to be completely honest. I went into this film without really being familiar with Jonathan Larson’s (Andrew Garfield) work. Well, aside from the famous song from Rent. However, tick, tick…BOOM! is a project that didn’t know anything about in terms of music or stage play. But anyway, that didn’t stop me from enjoying the…
"tick, tick…BOOM! Honors Jonathan Larson"
Home Sweet Home Alone starts out slow but once the slapstick starts is when the film truly gets hysterical with the laughs coming nonstop. Hunter (Tim Simons) says it the best when a remake/reboot of Angels with Filthy Souls is on TV. Why remake the classics when they’re never better than the originals? He’s not wrong. Jeff and Pam are not the Wet Bandits. They’re just parents trying their best. These to are as opposite…
"Home Sweet Home Alone Is Fine (It’s Not)"
Belfast is the most personal film yet for writer/director Kenneth Branagh and could only be made after his parents died. August 15, 1969. Belfast. Riots. The city would never be the same. We’ve all heard about the fighting between Catholics and Protestants in Ireland but this film really puts in on display. Appropriately, Belfast focuses in on Buddy (Jude Hill), a nine-year-old boy. Buddy’s life in North Belfast is turned upside down right there in…
"Belfast Is A Personal Film For Kenneth Branagh"
Four Seasons Total Documentary is a short documentary that reflects back on a historic day at the Four Seasons Total Landscaping. Make America Rake Again! Lawn and Order! Your Campaign is Dead, But Your Grass Doesn’t Have to Be. Remember the infamous press conference last year? None of us could believe it. Surely, the Trump campaign meant the Four Seasons Hotel Philadelphia in Center City. G-d only knows they didn’t mean to book a random…
"Four Seasons Total Documentary Is A Gem"
Chadwick Boseman delivers a strong performance as Jackie Robinson’s story comes to the screen in biopic form in 42: The Jackie Robinson Story. There are some biographical errors in 42 but I’m willing to let it slide because of how important this story is. Robinson broke the Major League Baseball color barrier in 1947. In doing so, he became a hero to many people. Even now, watching the film in 2021, there’s still that heroic…
"42: The Jackie Robinson Story"
Red Notice, the stylish globe-trotting affair starring Dwayne Johnson, Ryan Reynolds, and Gal Gadot, is a throwback that lives up to the hype. The less you know going into Red Notice, the better. Discussing any bit of the plot would take us into spoiler territory and nobody wants that. What I can definitely tell you is that this film is the best of the three collaborations between filmmaker Rawson Marshall Thurber and actor Dwayne Johnson.…
"Red Notice: A Stylish Throwback Globe-Trotting Affair"
Have a Kleenex box handy for the new Tom Hanks film, Finch, as one man creates a robot to care for his canine friend long after he’s gone. Finch is not a continuation of Atticus Finch’s story in To Kill a Mockingbird. Nor is it a biopic of filmmaker David Fincher. The film, however, is a casualty of the pandemic delays. The film becomes the second Tom Hanks film on Apple TV+ following last year’s…
"Finch: Prepare The Kleenex For This Drama"