“Colette” Tells A Joyous Tale of France’s Most Provocative Female Author
Keira Knightley may have a reputation as the queen of corsets, suggesting a stuffiness to her work in the many period pieces she’s played. But her performances couldn’t be farther from that characterization. In “The Duchess”, she infused Georgiana with a Princess Diana-style defiance of palace protocol. In “A Dangerous Method”, her Sabine Speilrein reveled in her […]
“Hell Fest” Can’t Mask Its Genre Clichés
The new film “Hell Fest” isn’t very scary, but it does make for a fairly enjoyable riff on all those middle-of-the-road frighteners that dominated the horror genre in the 80’s. In this one, three couples venture to a traveling theme park dubbed “Hell Fest.” Even a casual horror fan will recognize most of its tropes. […]
Michael Moore’s “Fahrenheit 11/9” Takes No Prisoners in its Critique
From the posters, one might think that Michael Moore’s new documentary is all about skewering Donald Trump. Granted, the current president is a large target in “Fahrenheit 11/9”, a title that riffs on the Oscar winner’s “Fahrenheit 9/11.” (November 9, 2016 was the day that Trump won the presidency.) Moore casts a wider net here, […]
“Lizzie” Paints a Compelling #MeToo Portrait from 1892
The new period thriller “Lizzie” is a fresh retelling of the infamous Lizzie Borden murder case and it benefits enormously from the timing of its release. The 1892 story about two women – Lizzie and the family maid Bridget Sullivan – being treated horribly by the male hierarchy and their ultimate revenge against it, can […]
“The Predator” Turns the Franchise into One Hot Mess
Is “The Predator” a sequel or a spoof? At times, it plays so comedically, it feels more like a parody of the original 1987 adventure “Predator.” Whatever the intent, “The Predator” is one hot mess. A summer-type actioner roaring into cineplexes after Labor Day, it’s loud, frenetic, and overstuffed with characters, exposition, and not one, […]
