A couple of weeks ago, I was watching Once Upon a Time in America in which Treat Williams has a minor role. By 1984, Williams had starring roles in Hair and Prince of the City. He had worked with Steven Spielberg, Milos Forman and Sidney Lumet in just three years. That’s a resume many actorsContinue reading “Treat Williams Was An Actor’s Actor”
Category Archives: Movie Reviews
‘Avatar’ Sequel Looks Great But Revisits The Same Territory As First One
There’s a joke in Hollywood that when he began working on Rio Lobo, Howard Hawks called up John Wayne for the lead. Without much discussion of the plot, Wayne agreed to it. When Hawks asked if Wayne wanted to see a script, he replied, he had made the movie twice already with Rio Bravo andContinue reading “‘Avatar’ Sequel Looks Great But Revisits The Same Territory As First One”
‘Reality’ Presents A Double Standard
Did the powers that be at Warner Bros. Discovery actually anticipate the 37-count indictment against Donald Trump or was it just one of those lightning in a bottle moments that works where life imitates art sometimes. Remember how the Three Mile Island incident happened shortly after The China Syndrome came out? Or how Wag theContinue reading “‘Reality’ Presents A Double Standard”
‘Jurassic Park’ Turns 30
When Jurassic Park hit theaters on this date, June 11, 1993, it came after much hype and buzz. The late Michael Crichton’s book has been a popular bestseller since the holiday season of 1990. And production had started in the summer of 1992 in Hawai’i but was interrupted by Hurricane Iniki in September of thatContinue reading “‘Jurassic Park’ Turns 30”
Riseborough Rises ‘To Leslie’ Above Feel-Good Indie Drama Poverty Porn
There’s a scene in To Leslie where the titular character played by Andrea Riseborough is being kicked out of her son’s apartment for drinking and stealing his roomate’s money. She pleads with him by repeatedly calling him “baby” but it’s fallen on deaf ears. It’s ironic because she’s acting like a child who’s been caughtContinue reading “Riseborough Rises ‘To Leslie’ Above Feel-Good Indie Drama Poverty Porn”
Chucky The Doll Proves Horror Can Be More Than Mere ‘Child’s Play’
Note: This focus will be on horror/thrillers that have featured the LGBTQIA community and/or have themes as June is Pride Month. By the time, Child’s Play hit theaters, for some reason after Halloween, in 1988, the horror genre had become a step up from porno. The slasher genre of the 1980s had soured the marketContinue reading “Chucky The Doll Proves Horror Can Be More Than Mere ‘Child’s Play’”
Michael J. Fox’s Serious Acting Shines In’Bright Lights, Big City’
George Carlin was once asked what it felt like when he did cocaine. His response was simple, “It makes you feel like having more cocaine.” In Bright Lights, Big City, Jamie Conway (Michael J. Fox) knows that feeling. He’s a 20-something wannabe writer from Pennsylvania who moved to New York City with his wife, AmandaContinue reading “Michael J. Fox’s Serious Acting Shines In’Bright Lights, Big City’”
‘The Year Between’ Isn’t Your Typical Hallmarkian Family Comedy-Drama
The protagonist of The Year Between isn’t a very likeable character. But Alex Heller, who wrote, direct and stars as Clemence asks us the audience to think out of normal cliched movies about bipolar characters. Heller, herself, suffers from bipolar disorder and this is somewhat semi-autobiographical. Movies in which characters have mental disorders are oftenContinue reading “‘The Year Between’ Isn’t Your Typical Hallmarkian Family Comedy-Drama”
‘The Truman Show’ Foretold Celebrity Culture And Influencers 25 Years Ago
When The Truman Show opened in theaters on this date, June 5, 1998, it was long anticipated for its novel premise. Jim Carrey plays Truman Burbank, a 30-year-old insurance salesman who lives in the picturesque town of Seahaven. But he’s unaware that everything around him is a fake. Or “manufactured” would be the appropriate term.Continue reading “‘The Truman Show’ Foretold Celebrity Culture And Influencers 25 Years Ago”
‘Psycho II’ Is An Underrated Horror Classic After 40 Years
Note: This focus will be on horror/thrillers that have featured the LGBTQIA community and/or have themes as June is Pride Month. In Scream VI, they discuss that Psycho II is an underrated horror classic and I agree. I must admit when I first watched it back in 1980s, I missed a few things I caughtContinue reading “‘Psycho II’ Is An Underrated Horror Classic After 40 Years”
Zane Says 