Freeze Frame

The HBO Max cloak-and-dagger drama “All the Old Knives” is a well-acted espionage thriller with a plot that twists like a mobius strip. Chris Pine and Thandiwe Newton add steamy eroticism as former lovers who reunite years after their CIA field intelligence office mishandled a hijacking case that left over 100 people dead. Are they […]

Like the recent “Venom” movies, the Marvel entry “Morbius” is a Spider-Man villain origin story. It’s a full-blown horror flick about a brilliant doctor, played by Jared Leto, who attempts to cure his own blood disease, only to unintentionally turn himself into a super vampire. It’s watchable, but the by-the-numbers execution leaves “Morbius” just a bit […]

Anyone who has seen the classic 1984 romantic action comedy “Romancing the Stone” may feel a bit of deja vu watching the slapstick adventure movie “The Lost City.” Sandra Bullock plays Loretta, a romance novelist kidnapped by a wealthy bad guy, played by Daniel “Harry Potter” Radcliffe. He needs her understanding of hieroglyphics to decipher […]

The Hulu movie “Deep Water” desperately wants to be an erotic thriller like some of director Adrian Lyne’s earlier films like “Fatal Attraction.” Sadly, this poorly paced adaptation of Patricia Highsmith’s novel is fatal, but there’s little attraction. Ben Affleck portrays a wealthy snob who may or may not be killing off his promiscuous wife’s […]

As time travel movies go, they don’t get much sunnier than the Netflix action thriller, “The Adam Project.” Ryan Reynolds plays Adam, a pilot from the future who crash lands in 2022 and winds up having to recruit his 12-year-old self to thwart some baddies who are using time travel for nefarious ends.   Reynolds […]

The Dark Knight continues to get darker and darker. In his first appearance as “The Batman” Robert Pattinson takes the brooding caped crusader to a new level of bleakness.   “The Batman” is an extremely well-made movie that plays more like a gangster film noir than a superhero flick. In addition to giving us a […]

There have been at least eleven film adaptations of Edmond Rostand’s classic romantic play “Cyrano de Bergerac” and at least eleven others that were inspired by the story. The latest cinematic version is different in a couple of major ways. “Cyrano,” starring Peter Dinklage, is a full-blown musical and the lovestruck main character is self-conscious because he’s […]

Someday, someone will make a really good movie adaptation of a video game. It has to happen, eventually, right? “Uncharted,” based on the PlayStation title, is the latest attempt. It’s an adventure yarn in the mold of Indiana Jones that has a likable cast, spectacular production values and plenty of over-the-top action. If it only […]

If you’re in the mood for an old-fashioned Turner Classic Movies-style whodunit, look no further than “Death on the Nile.” Director/star Kenneth Branagh is back as Agatha Christie’s erudite detective Hercule Poirot, whom we last saw in 2017’s “Murder on the Orient Express.” Now, we see Poirot working on a murder case among the wealthy […]

KC based filmmaker Trevor Hawkins delivers an impressive feature film debut with “Lotawana,” a movie that he wrote, produced, and directed, shot at Lake Lotawana, Missouri. Now available on video on demand, it’s a skillfully made character study about an aimless man, played by Tom Blubaugh, who lives off grid on a boat at the […]

Oscar-winning Spanish filmmaker Pedro Almodovar continues to show why he’s at the top of his game. Another Oscar winner, actress Penelope Cruz stars in Almodovar’s “Parallel Mothers.” It’s the tale of two women whose newborns may have been accidentally switched at birth. Cruz plays a successful single photographer who finds herself in the family way. […]

So, is it true that no good deed goes unpunished? With his latest movie “A Hero,” Oscar-winning Iranian writer/director Asghar Farhadi continues to show why he’s one of the world’s finest filmmakers. This contemporary morality play is about a man serving time in an Iranian debtors’ prison who, while on a two-day leave from incarceration, […]

The fifth installment of the “Scream” movie franchise, simply titled “Scream,” supplies more of the same. And that’s just what many fans expect. This self-referential, tongue-in-cheek slasher movie ups the ante on bashing horror movie cliches while simultaneously embracing them. Expect clueless teens, plenty of blood and plenty of snark.   “Drive My Car” is […]

Happy New Year. It’s time for my annual countdown of the best films of 2021: #10) CODA is a heartfelt comic drama about a hearing teenager whose deaf parents can’t understand why she wants to pursue a career in music. #9) THE MITCHELLS VS THE MACHINES is a funny and surprisingly touching animated sci-fi comedy […]

Paul Thomas Anderson is one of the world’s top filmmakers, specializing in dark, thoughtful dramas like “There Will Be Blood,” “Boogie Nights” and “Magnolia.” His latest movie, “Licorice Pizza” is a real departure. It’s a nostalgic coming-of-age comedy and his most audience-friendly work. Newcomers Cooper Hoffman and Alana Haim are very appealing as a 15-year-old wannabe actor […]

It’s been 18 years since the last installment of the lauded sci-fi “Matrix” franchise. Is the fourth movie “The Matrix Resurrections” necessary? Not really, but it’s a welcome mind-trip down memory lane. Neo tries to save his beloved Trinity from the conniving puppeteer behind the matrix…but who’s saving whom? The best way to enjoy “The […]

In “Spider-Man: No Way Home,” our hero’s identity as Peter Parker is revealed to the world. He recruits Dr. Strange to employ dangerous magic to conceal the truth, inadvertently unleashing villains from alternate universes. Involving, eye-popping and filled with welcome surprises, “Spider-Man: No Way Home” is a super superhero entry.   Guillermo del Toro’s remake […]

The rule should be “Classic movies don’t need to be remade. Remake the bad ones and improve them.” But Steven Spielberg’s new take on the musical “West Side Story” is an exception. It’s better than the 1961 Oscar-winning Best Picture. Pulitzer Prize winner Tony Kushner has made some sly changes in the screenplay that add an extra […]

The gothic arthouse western “The Power of the Dog” is one of those movies that causes critics to flip and general audiences to shrug. Benedict Cumberbatch leads an accomplished cast in director Jane Campion’s adaptation of Thomas Savage’s 1967 novel that tells the tragic tale of a despicable cowboy who makes life miserable for everyone […]

Infidelity, scandal, intrigue, murder. These are the topics of many a soap opera. They also emerge in the true story “House of Gucci,” currently available in theaters only. Lady Gaga gives a wily performance as the ambitious and cunning wife of fashion house heir Maurizio Gucci, played by Adam Driver. Director Ridley Scott has put […]

Time for Will Smith to dust off his shelf and make room for an Oscar. In “King Richard,” he gives a riveting performance as the obsessive and galvanizing Richard Williams, the driving force behind the tennis domination of his daughters Venus and Serena Williams. This wildly entertaining biopic transcends the conventions of the inspiring sports […]

“Belfast” is a dreamily nostalgic tale from filmmaker Kenneth Branagh, loosely inspired by his own childhood in late 60s strife-torn Northern Ireland. Shot in glorious black-and-white, “Belfast” is a loving tribute to Branagh’s family and the denizens of his close-knit neighborhood as they faced “The Troubles” between Protestants and Catholics.  There’s a lot of heart […]

What would an Academy Award-winning director do with a Marvel movie? “Eternals” provides the answer: More of the same. Chloé Zhao, who won the Oscar for the low-key drama “Nomadland,” mounts an impressive two-and-a-half-hour spectacle with all the over-the-top action one would expect from a Marvel opus. The problem with “Eternals” is its big, unwieldy […]

Eccentric filmmaker Wes Anderson’s latest exercise in quirkiness, “The French Dispatch,” is a lightweight but eye-popping homage to personal journalism, especially a nod to the writers and editors of The New Yorker. An all-star cast is featured in an anthology of three stories from a fictional news magazine’s final issue. Although it’s wildly imaginative and […]

If the classic Japanese film “Rashomon” were set in medieval France, it would have looked a lot like “The Last Duel.” Matt Damon, Adam Driver, Jodi Comer and Ben Affleck star in the true story of knights who battle to the death when one accuses the other of raping his wife. What’s intriguing about this […]