Category: Reviews

Mutiny: Delivers Exactly the Jason Statham Movie I Wanted

Jason Statham as Cole Reed in 'Mutiny'. Photo: Dan Smith/Lionsgate.

At this point, I know exactly what to expect when I walk into a Jason Statham movie, and I am perfectly fine with that. In fact, that is part of the appeal. He plays essentially the same character over and over again: tough, controlled, perpetually underestimated, and capable of dismantling a room full of bad… Continue reading Mutiny: Delivers Exactly the Jason Statham Movie I Wanted

The End of Oak Street Is Ridiculous, Weird, and Lots of Fun

There is nothing plausible about The End of Oak Street, and I mean that as a compliment. Writer-director David Robert Mitchell takes an ordinary 1982 suburban neighborhood, rips it from its familiar world via a mysterious cosmic event, and drops it into a prehistoric landscape filled with hungry dinosaurs. It is a completely ridiculous premise,… Continue reading The End of Oak Street Is Ridiculous, Weird, and Lots of Fun

Don’t Say Good Luck:  Finds Something Real Beneath the Coming-of-Age Formula

Don’t Say Good Luck, directed by Julia Hart and now streaming on Netflix, could have been another familiar coming-of-age story, but it is far more thoughtful. The film tackles real pain, complicated relationships, grief, family dynamics, and the uncomfortable process of growing up while someone you love is dying. Sophie attempts to navigate adolescence while… Continue reading Don’t Say Good Luck:  Finds Something Real Beneath the Coming-of-Age Formula

SXSW 2025 Movie Review: THE RIVALS OF AMZIAH KING

At SXSW, The Rivals of Amziah King proved to be a delightful surprise—a film that blends the quirky charm of rural Oklahoma with an unexpectedly involved and poignant narrative. In this narrative feature, director Andrew Patterson delivers a well-crafted exploration of ambition, family, and rivalry, all set against the backdrop of an unconventional honey-making enterprise.… Continue reading SXSW 2025 Movie Review: THE RIVALS OF AMZIAH KING

TONY: Anthony Bordain Biopic Depicts the World Renown Chef as having a Snot-nosed Background

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

The End of Oak Street – Much More Thrilling Than Expected

David Robert Mitchell wrote and directed this sci-fi adventure thriller. It surprised me that the story had so much more to it than I expected. I had seen the trailer before the screening, and it sounded interesting, but I was hesitant about whether it would have the depth it does. The trailer emphasized the dinosaur’s… Continue reading The End of Oak Street – Much More Thrilling Than Expected

THE SAMURAI AND THE PRISONER: The Unforgiven of Samurai Films

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

ONE NIGHT ONLY Is a Bizarre and Mostly Unamusing Exercise In Facism

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