Villainy Looks Good on Blake Lively in “A Simple Favor”
Back in the 90’s, Jeremy Irons stopped trying to be a leading man and became a much more interesting actor by essaying villainy. Hugh Grant may have just reached a career zenith this year by playing two bad guys – one in “Paddington 2”, the other in BBC One’s “A Very English Scandal.” Now, Blake […]
“The Nun” is ‘Hammer Time’ for “The Conjuring” Franchise
The best way to view the new horror movie “The Nun” is to regard it as a near homage to the campy, over-the-top Hammer films from the 60’s and 70’s. As a part of “The Conjuring”franchise, this sequel/prequel doesn’t have the seriousness of the previous four films. It also has issues with logic, consistency of […]
“Peppermint” Bungles Jennifer Garner’s Return as Action Star
Did the new Jennifer Garner film “Peppermint” suffer from some disastrous test screenings? Is that the reason that the actioner feels truncated and compromised in its edit? As presented, the movie about a vengeful mom taking down the drug cartel who murdered her husband and child feels rushed, discombobulated, and incomplete. There seem to be […]
“Kin” Jumbles Genres and Tones in a Messy Mix
The new film “Kin” wants to be many things: a sci-fi fantasy, a road trip comedy, a coming-of-age story, and a brutal actioner. At times, it succeeds in individually essaying all of them, but taken as a whole, the film is quite a mess. One minute it wants the audience to mourn the violent murder […]
“Operation Finale” Nobly but Tepidly Tells of Adolf Eichmann’s Capture
The story of the capture of famed Nazi Adolf Eichmann is an inherently dramatic one. The architect of “The Final Solution,” the Third Reich plan to exterminate all the Jews during WWII, managed to escape an American prison camp after the war and secretly migrate to Argentina. There, the fugitive thrived under the name “Ricardo […]
