Discoveries in Where’d You Go, Bernadette carry a true joy

Sometimes the best of us can get lost without really identifying the when’s, why’s and how’s. That’s the point behind the very agreeable Where’d You Go, Bernadette, a lovely and loving piece of work directed by Richard Linklater from his screenplay co-written with Holly Gent (and very much driven by Maria Semple’s popular novel). We…

Dog lovers better break out the Kleenex for The Art of Racing in the Rain

If you’ve ever owned a dog, wanted to own a dog or petted a dog you passed on the street corner, bring a full box of Kleenex to your viewing of The Art of Racing in the Rain. The love story between canine Enzo and race car driver Denny is indeed that intense, not to…

Fast and Furious franchise can still count on its Rock

The slam-bang of Fast and Furious rolls along right along. This ninth edition of the world-goes-fast franchise isn’t quite a sequel. The adventure directed by David Leitch from the screenplay by Chris Morgan and Drew Pearce does not gather together the familiar ensemble of crafty characters to eliminate the dangers put in front of them…

The Aftermath reminds us of how much hurt there was to go around from WWII

So much healing had to be done after the powers that be decided who had won and who had lost World War II. On both sides. We’re reminded of the deep scars again by The Aftermath, a drama directed by James Kent that’s set in tense postwar Hamburg. The Brits are everywhere among the residents…

Woody, Buzz and pals still have a lot to give in Toy Story 4

How much of a good thing is too much? Ask a kid if they’ve grown out of their favorite toys. Ask a movie fan if they’re ready for Toy Story 4. Same difference? That’s what you might be wondering before you take the plunge or this fourth installment into the Disney/Pixar tale of cowboy Woody,…

You can’t escape the true grit of Arctic

When we first meet the man in the center of Arctic, he’s scratching in the snow. Pull away. More. He’s writing a message he hopes will catch the attention of somebody, anybody. S O S We never find out the name of the guy stranded when his plane crashed in the middle of these snowy…

Will you stick around with Adam and Jennifer to solve this Murder Mystery?

There are Jennifer Anniston fans, plenty still, I’ll assume in this Friends anniversary year. There are Adam Sandler fans, too, I’ll venture. Because, well … The Wedding Singer still gets me to stop and chuckle, you know? Will there be fans of Jennifer and Adam trying their chemistry together? Oh, wait. In 2011, they had…

The Public examines the rights and wrongs about access and conflict

There are many reasons that people enter the doors of their favorite public library every day. The programs. The WiFi. The computers. The magazines. The books, still and even. The feeling of community. I see it in the faces and hear it in the voices as I make the rounds for my job in the…

Get Ready to Experience Elton John in His Extremes

We meet the star at a low point, marching into an anonymous meeting in which he obviously can’t and won’t be. Dressed to the hilt in the stage finery and carrying all the stories that made him Elton John, the man proceeds to tell the folks in the circle of chairs all of the addictions…

Disney reboots Aladdin with big, bold and beautiful strokes

When it came time to give the Disney resources to the remaking of Aladdin, director Guy Ritchie went big. After all, he had the legend of the late, great Robin Williams voicing the magical genie in the 1992 version. So in this live-action reboot, that pivotal part fell to Will Smith. And he knocks it…