“Rocketman” Directed by Dexter Fletcher There is no way to discuss Rocketman”, Dexter Fletcher’s new musical about Elton John’s pre-sober rise & fall, without comparing it to last year’s darling, “Bohemian Rhapsody”. In case I need to explain why…both John … Continue reading “Rocketman”
“Tolkien” Directed by Dome Karukoski So close to accomplishing the task of being a good film, alas, Karukoski’s “Tolkien” comes up short…falling further and further in my estimation of its success as time passes. Why? After all, the acting is … Continue reading “Tolkien”
“Apollo 11” Directed by Todd Douglas Miller One of my earliest lasting childhood memories is watching the moon landing in 1969. We sat around our tiny black and white TV with the spin channel selector (VHF was like a radio … Continue reading “Apollo 11”
Imagine if a writing prompt were given to a Hollywood screenwriting class that went something like this: Write a film about an alien trying to find her way through an unknown universe…an alien with crazy powers of strength and flight, … Continue reading “Alita: Battle Angel” & “Captain Marvel”
“Never Look Away” (Germany) Directed by Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck Let’s start off by confessing my love for von Donnersmarck’s Academy Award-winning “The Lives of Others”. It is well ensconced in my Top Ten favorite films of all time. It … Continue reading “Never Look Away” (Germany)
I know many people will disagree with me, but, like 2017, I found 2018 to be a fairly weak year for GREAT films. Certainly nothing like 2016, which was sort of miraculous and made selecting my Top Fifteen of that … Continue reading Best and Worst Films of 2018
A good little crop of films this year. None of them are truly outstanding, but all are intriguing, even if one is a mere seven minutes long, another is a retread (granted, brutally honest) of several previous nominees, and a … Continue reading 2019 Oscar-Nominated Documentary Shorts
“They Shall Not Grow Old” Directed by Peter Jackson Tasked by the Imperial War Museum to make a film that honors the 100th anniversary of the end of the First World War (aka The Great War), a day recognized as … Continue reading “They Shall Not Grow Old”
This was not a banner year for the animated shorts. You know that’s the case when at the theatrical presentation of the nominees, one of the shorts they add on as filler (also known as the “Highly Commended” group) should … Continue reading 2019 Oscar-Nominated Animated Shorts
Well, I must say…the nominating committees for much of this year’s categories sure have a penchant for the bleak, especially when it comes to kids. Between “Roma” (Foreign Film), “Of Fathers and Sons” (Doc), “Minding the Gap” (Doc), “Black Sheep” … Continue reading 2019 Oscar-Nominated Live Action Shorts
