Tag: Movies

Eddington

July 21, 2025  ·  Culture & Ideas

What starts out as a quiet little film set in a remote section of New Mexico slowly reveals itself to be a colorful tableau of just about every hot-button social issue you can think of.

The Phoenician Scheme

July 15, 2025  ·  Culture & Ideas

Wes Anderson’s latest entry, The Phoenician Scheme, is once again a very clever and droll affair with an entertaining cast of characters and its own unique look, unlike anything else around.

The Materialists

July 5, 2025  ·  Culture & Ideas

The promotional material for this new film may put you off by giving the impression it is a light-hearted rom-com in the mold of a Julia Roberts-George Clooney romp. It is anything but.

Absolution

June 18, 2025  ·  Culture & Ideas

The brief plot summary of this new Liam Neeson action vehicle currently streaming on Netflix may prompt a “been there, seen that” response from you, as it did me.

Donald “Lonesome Rhoades” Trump

April 9, 2025  ·  Politics

Say what you will about his second presidential incarnation, but there is certainly no grass growing under Mr. Trump’s feet.

The Room Next Door

March 29, 2025  ·  Culture & Ideas

Are you in the mood for a well-crafted meditation on terminal illness, abiding friendship, the restorative beauty of nature, and the highly controversial subject of how to live and die with dignity?

Oh, Mary

January 5, 2025  ·  Culture & Ideas

This alternate-universe take on Mary Todd Lincoln has conquered Broadway and received rave reviews. We attended just the other night, as part of a sold-out house.

Suffs

January 2, 2025  ·  Culture & Ideas

When my wife and I visited the Big Apple this week and took in the musical Suffs right before it’s nearly year-long run came to an end, I was approaching the show with a sense of obligation.

Anora

December 20, 2024  ·  Culture & Ideas

The new film Anora is a 2024 Palme d’Or winner that my wife and a close friend of hers decided we should go see, so off we went.

New Dumb Movies

September 1, 2024  ·  Music & Performance

There is apparently more money available to finance original streaming content than there are scripts worthy of being filmed.

Tuesday (The Movie)

June 27, 2024  ·  Music & Performance

Tuesday is the latest movie to land on my list of all-time favorites. It is advertised as a meditation on mortality, so right away you know this is not going to be a summer blockbuster.

The Nest

June 13, 2024  ·  Culture & Ideas

With it being so hard to find something worthwhile to watch these days, I wanted to give a shout out to a quiet little movie, The Nest.

Fair Play: An Appreciation

October 30, 2023  ·  Culture & Ideas

After making a splash at the Sundance Film Festival in January, the new movie Fair Play received only a limited theatrical release in September before its streaming debut on Netflix earlier this month. It is billed as a drama/mystery/thriller, and after watching it last night I would add the word “tragedy” to that list as well.

Somewhere in Queens

June 12, 2023  ·  Culture & Ideas

Here are a few words of praise for the new feature film, Somewhere in Queens, directed and co-written by veteran stand-up comedian and TV sitcom star Ray Romano

Julia Reichert, R.I.P.

March 6, 2023  ·  Culture & Ideas

When Julia Reichert died a few months ago at the age of 76, she was eulogized as a “Documentarian of the Working Class.”

An Aversion to Action Films

February 24, 2023  ·  Music & Performance

It’s late on Friday afternoon and a few co-workers are letting their hair down before heading out for the weekend. I can hear bits and pieces of conversation through an open door. Someone mentions not having seen the blockbuster hit “Top Gun: Maverick,”

The Magic Scene: Nebraska

July 12, 2022  ·  Culture & Ideas

It sort of goes without saying every good movie is made up of a series of enjoyable, engaging scenes. But the really good movies, the ones that stick with you, have what I would call a magic scene. Or maybe even more than one.