A huge comet will hit the earth and destroy all life within months. The good news: It's a movie, and a metaphor for the climate crisis. Rather than months, in real life we have a few years to fix the problem. This year's Sloan Science in Cinema Prize goes to Adam McKay, the writer and … Continue reading Sloan Science & Don’t Look Up
Month: January 2022
What’s Screening: January 7 – 13
I dedicate this week's newsletter to film historian and filmmaker Peter Bogdanovich (July 30, 1939 – January 6, 2022). Considering what Omicron is doing all over the world, we have a surprising number of vintage movies playing in real theaters. We've got major works from Peter Jackson, F.W. Murnau, Wong Kar Wai, The Coen Brothers, … Continue reading What’s Screening: January 7 – 13
Matrixes: Kung Fu, digital effects, and ridiculous stories
I was never a fan of The Matrix franchise. The very concept of these films bothered me since I saw the first one (I'll go into this below). I saw the first two movies when they were relatively new, with no desire to see more. I skipped the third movie when it came out. But … Continue reading Matrixes: Kung Fu, digital effects, and ridiculous stories
Parallel Mothers: What you heard at the maternity hospital
A- drama Written & directed by Pedro Almodóvar Some movies are easy to review, but not this one. If I'm not careful, I can ruin the movie for you - and not just in the last act. Pedro Almodóvar's latest film, Parallel Mothers, contains some important surprises over its two-hour runtime, and each new revelation … Continue reading Parallel Mothers: What you heard at the maternity hospital
Movies I’ve recently seen: From Here to Eternity ֍ Tick, Tick… Boom! ֍ Terror in a Texas Town ֍ One Hour with You & ֍ No Way Out
I haven't been going to theaters recently, but here are a few, mostly old movies that I've watched at home. The fact that four of the five movies are in black-and-white tells you that that most of these pictures are vintage. And if you want to find out how to stream any of these, click … Continue reading Movies I’ve recently seen: From Here to Eternity ֍ Tick, Tick… Boom! ֍ Terror in a Texas Town ֍ One Hour with You & ֍ No Way Out
The best new films I saw at home
Like all of us, I saw a lot of new films at home this year. Along with Netflix, Vudu, and other services, I also streamed films in the job of a reviewer - especially near the major film festivals. These were the best: A Skies of Lebanon: directed by Franka Potente The movie begins like … Continue reading The best new films I saw at home
My best moviegoing experiences of 2021
I don't write a list of the year's best ten movies. Instead, I list the best ten moviegoing experiences (sometimes I list more than ten). I couldn't do that last year, but this time I could. What do I mean by moviegoing experiences? The movies can be old or new. The experience must happen in … Continue reading My best moviegoing experiences of 2021
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