Avoid THE LOFT
The true test of a mystery is if, after the mechanics of the misdirection are revealed, those mechanics are as impressive as the misdirection itself. In THE LOFT, this is … Continue reading
Going Beyond BLACK OR WHITE
Mike Binder has a particular genius for showing people brimming with good intentions, but flawed, stumbling through life without the operating instructions that would help them negotiate the bumps along … Continue reading
A Voice in the Night 1/26/14
As much fun as it is to watch awards shows, it’s even more fun when I have the chance to parse the proceedings live on KGO Radio with the divine … Continue reading
BOYHOOD Wins The International Online Film Critics’ Poll Top Prize
It was my honor to be invited to participate in this year’s International Online Film Critics’ Poll. It’s a relatively new organization, now in its 4th biannual awards season. The winners have just … Continue reading
Al Pacino Exalts THE HUMBLING
THE HUMBLING is a throwback to a time when attention spans were longer, characters were created out of complex and even contradictory behaviors, and the story was an extension of … Continue reading
Julianne Moore is STILL ALICE
It starts with a slip so small, so subtle, that it goes unremarked by everyone present. At the birthday celebration for Alice Howland (Julianne Moore), her rejoinder to a question … Continue reading
MORTDECAI is DOA
Sneaking into theaters without benefit of a press screening, MORTDECAI is a tragically unfunny attempt at lighthearted comedy. Based on the novel “Don’t Point that That Thing at Me” by … Continue reading
THE LAST DAYS IN VIETNAM — Rory Kennedy Interview
I speak as someone who can remember the fall of Saigon, and the iconic images that graces magazine covers in the days and weeks that followed. Yet, when I saw … Continue reading
Just Try to Resist PADDINGTON
There is a certain trepidation that accompanies any screening of a film released in January. This is the graveyard of films that failed to meet studio expectations, but that for … Continue reading
LITTLE WHITE LIE — Lacey and Peggy Schwartz
Lacey Schwartz wasn’t going to direct the documentary about her life growing up in a Jewish family and discovering that her dark skin wasn’t the result of a Sicilian ancestry, … Continue reading
Killer Movie Reviews 