“Men” is a bizarre horror movie seeped in symbolism. When a young woman experiences a traumatic event that changes her life, she decides to decompress with pastoral stay in a quaint English village. Yet her time in that idyllic setting turns into a nightmare. Perhaps it is her inner torment from guilt and grief. Perhaps it is the ancient Celtic myths alive in the woods. Perhaps the village is far from being quaint…
Showing theaters starting May 20
Streaming on Prime Video starting May 27
“Emergency” is goofy mix of movies like “The Hangover” and “Weekend at Bernie’s”. There is a high alcohol content missing person, and a few folks stuck with an extra person who is non-responsive. That person is not dead, but they are so blitzed out that they might as well be. The college roommates who find the inebriated under-age girl are in a bad spot. The two Black guys and their Hispanic roomie are afraid to call the authorities. They are capable of handling the situation, right?
“Downton Abbey: A New Era” is the second movie based on the long-running British BBC series about the English Upper Crust family and the country home and servants who work there. It begins with the nuptials of two newlyweds in the Abbey at Downton. Then it ends with the death and final services of a beloved character in this BBC series, now turned into a ‘moving picture talkie’. They have missed the chance to call this movie “One Wedding and a Funeral”.
“Dr Strange In The Multiverse of Madness” gets the magical Marvel movie action pumping again. But in this movie, it is not just set in one space, or time, or even one dimension. It makes for a crazy spin dry cycle for the previous wash loads of numerous prior Marvel-produced movies, and even some Disney+ TV series. Like somebody once said “Hold on to your butts”… Read more
“The Northman” is an epic Viking retelling (or is it a PRE-telling?) of the “Hamlet” story. After all – Shakespeare apparently based his monumental play on this ancient Nordic legend. It is a tale of one brother killing his brother (the King) to gain the throne. And there is the young son of the King who vows Vengeance and Death and Honor. All of this told as gnarly dudes with swords, spears, daggers and shields fight for victory in battle, and entrance into Valhalla. It’s like “The Lion King”, as a bloody Nordic tragedy! Read more
“The Bad Guys” is an animated comedy that takes the crazy vibe of Looney Tunes and brings it into a world of “Ocean’s Eleven”. They are a team of animal characters who run elaborate heists on all sorts of unsuspecting people in all sorts of places. Based on a children’s book of the same name, in which the team’s leader decides to change from being Bad to instead being Good. That goes against the motto of the team: “Go Bad or Go Home”.
“The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent” is a meta-concept movie of an actor playing a fictionalized version of himself. This has been done before, of course. But never in such a “Nick Cage” way! There is a lot of meta-humor in this movie, seeing that the main character is a fictionalized version of Nicolas Cage. Gee – I wonder who would be nuts enough to play that role? Read more
“Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore” is the next movie in the JK Rowling “Wizarding World”. But based on the crammed and jammed details of People, Places and Beasts that this movie covers, it begins to fall into the “Bewildering World”. It is mishmash of Wizard-level ‘Big Ideas’ that come across as half-baked content. The visually stunning effects are fun, but the long slog of run time make you feel like Muggle forced to take the 5th year O.W.L.S test. I mean, it’s a struggle to keep up… Read more
“Ambulance” is a high-energy, high-octane roller-coaster ride with some quality actors careening down the streets of LA in said emergency vehicle. The plot asks you to completely turn off your brain and focus on the screen — so you view the motion and feel the emotion. This movie is directed by Michael Bay. He continues to show that he must have an unofficial catch phrase: ‘The Secret to Success is Using Too Much Excess”. Read more
Streaming on Amazon Prime and in limited
theater screenings starting April 8, 2022
“All the Old Knives” is a standard spy story where the Agency must have a ‘mole’ and one of the top agents is sent to sniff out who it might be. Except that the event happened eight years ago. The interviewer has to determine the guilt of the potential mole. But this person is the ex-lover and prior co-worker of said agent/interviewer. Plus, the ‘interview’ is off-the-record and occurs at a swanky seaside restaurant.
