Grandma (Paul Weitz, 2015) How I wanted to like this movie (despite its lackluster trailer). I love Lily Tomlin (most…
9/4/15: Midday on 70 Years of Pacific-Theater Films of World War II
[Missed the show? Check out the podcast!] 70 years ago, on September 2, 1945, the Empire of Japan signed the…
Sex, Drugs and Female Empowerment in Wonderful “The Diary of a Teenage Girl”
The Diary of a Teenage Girl (Marielle Heller, 2015) Be forewarned, O faint of heart, that this movie features inappropriate sex between…
In “Listen to Me Marlon,” Brando, As Always, Mesmerizes
Listen to Me Marlon (Stevan Riley, 2015) This is not the first documentary about the great American actor Marlon Brando (there have…
“American Ultra” Offers Eisenberg’s Mad Skills, and Not Much Else
American Ultra (Nima Nourizadeh, 2015) He’s a stoner! But wait, he might be so much more. What’s that spoon doing stuck…
The Docucinema of Bold Ink: “Best of Enemies,” “The End of the Tour” and “Straight Outta Compton”
[NOTE from 8/22/15: I just added a post-script, below, to my review of “Straight Outta Compton.”] My apologies, for this…
The Ditzy, Dizzy “Man from U.N.C.L.E.” Dazzles with (Empty) Style
The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (Guy Ritchie, 2015) The original “The Man from U.N.C.L.E.” television series ran from 1964 to 1968 on NBC.…
The Redundant Reboot: “Fantastic Four” Falls Flat
Fantastic Four (Josh Trank, 2015) Where to begin? Perhaps with the question, not unique to this particular movie, of why. In…
“Shaun the Sheep Movie” Entertains, But Needs Its Woolly Bits Shorn
Shaun the Sheep Movie (Mark Burton/Richard Starzak, 2015) The English animation studio Aardman Animations – best known for its Wallace and Gromit short films,…
Go, Tom, Go! In “Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation,” Cruise and Company Run a Great Game
Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation (Christopher McQuarrie, 2015) Christopher McQuarrie, the Oscar-winning writer of Bryan Singer’s terrific 1995 The Usual Suspects –…
