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Anthony Bourdain, a renowned chef and Food Network world traveler, had humble beginnings, and the new biopic about “Tony’s” background shows that everyone has to start somewhere. Director Matt Johnson’s film captures a pivotal moment in Anthony’s life, when the teen B.S. artist finds direction and the discipline to keep it. Actor Dominic Senna, who… Continue reading TONY: Anthony Bordain Biopic Depicts the World Renown Chef as having a Snot-nosed Background

I have said this previously, and I will say it again. I love an entertaining stoner comedy. I didn’t expect the latest stoner comedy to star both Kristen Stewart and Alia Shawkat. As much as I enjoy the acting of both actors, their roles as two major stoner friends are the least-likely scenario I ever… Continue reading THE WRONG GIRLS: A Wildly Imaginative Stoner Adventure

Guest Contributor: Debbie Cerda As a longtime fan of travel and food shows, I enjoyed watching “Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations” and the “Parts Unknown” over the years. I have to admit that I have not yet read Kitchen Confidential, so I went into Tony less as a devotee than most. I was a bit curious… Continue reading Tony Serves Up a Tasty, Imperfect Bourdain

If Clint Eastwood’s Unforgiven is an anti-western, then Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s The Samurai and the Prisoner is the anti-samurai movie. Though Kiyoshi has the same last name as Akira Kurosawa, the late,  legendary master of samurai films, Kiyoshi takes a very different approach to his storytelling and its presentation. With this latest entry, Kiyoshi deconstructs the… Continue reading THE SAMURAI AND THE PRISONER: The Unforgiven of Samurai Films

The central premise of the romantic comedy, One Night Only, is that the U.S government is regulating when single people can have premarital sex. The two protagonists of the film, a couple of single people who keep crossing paths on the one night that singles can have sex without criminal repercussions, is a very scary… Continue reading ONE NIGHT ONLY Is a Bizarre and Mostly Unamusing Exercise In Facism

A forgotten Peter Parker (Tom Holland) lives alone as a full-time Spider-Man until mounting pressure triggers a dangerous change and a powerful new enemy emerges (IMDb.com). This latest installment of the Spider-Man franchise may be my favorite because not only is it visually stunning and well-acted, but, most importantly, extremely well written. Not to say… Continue reading SPIDER-MAN: BRAND NEW DAY

The MCU’s Spider-Man (Tom Holland) is back with a brand new adventure, with a different director and a set of writers who seem to have a better handle on the character than previous attempts at the character’s development. That is not to say that I did not enjoy the previous installments of the character’s franchise.… Continue reading SPIDER-MAN: BRAND NEW DAY Is the Best Spider-Man Movie of The MCU

Nicolas Winding Refn, the director behind Bronson, Drive, and other films with artistic appeal, comes with his latest movie, which looks quite pretty but has a muddled, undecipherable plot. I am not exactly sure what message Refn is trying to convey through his latest film. The movie presents some semblance of a coherent idea, but… Continue reading HER PRIVATE HELL: A Gorgeous Looking Film Derailed By Its Writing

Homer’s Odyssey is an iconic work of ancient literature that has influenced major contributions to fantasy literature, as well as quintessential entries in storytelling and cinema. Writer/director Christopher Nolan, known for his incredible films, attempts to adapt this classic story with some modern context, but at the same time, honors and celebrates the spectacle delivered… Continue reading THE ODYSSEY: Christopher Nolan’s Cinematic Adaptation

Notably, I am a huge fan of the original animated film and an even bigger fan of Dwayne Johnson. The 2016 animated version is one of those movies that just works for me — the music, the humor, the emotion, the ocean, and the relationship between Moana and Maui work. So, with any live-action remake,… Continue reading Moana: not as good as the first, but enjoyable