1917 reminds us that each war had its own hell, yet share so much

You can pick your heroes with tears in your eyes throughout the lush yet stark two hours of 1917, an amazing concept indeed considering this World War I movie most obviously centers around the two Lance Corporal British soldiers picked to carry out a most perilous mission. They, the commanding general intones so seriously, must…

Tarantino’s vision of 1969 Hollywood grips us in our time, too

Violence. Profanity. Glorious cinematography. Wicked storytelling. You betcha, Quentin Tarintino checked all his usual boxes with Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. And that means the director and writer has delivered to our times a winding tale bursting with his unusual view of his art and our world in general. In this 2-hour, 29-minute epic,…

You don’t have to be an established fan to dig Downton Abbey

My dear wife Karen did not want me to go into Downton Abbey fully uninitiated. She also didn’t want to lecture me on the ins and outs of the good (and not so good) people who inhabit that big house on the other side of the pond before we sat down to watch the Blu-Ray…

Hail to this driver and passenger, who make Stuber almost 4 stars

Watch Stuber and you’ll never, ever feel self-conscious about any kind of Uber order. This adventure-comedy pairing Kumail Nanjiani and Dave Bautista is set, sometimes, in the electric car Stu drives around LA for hire. Then one fateful day police officer Vic places an order for an Uber. The rest is one wild chase through…

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…

Scorsese, De Niro say so much and so little in The Irishman

It’s quite obvious that director Martin Scorsese and actor Robert De Niro care so much about The Irishman. The pair of American legends pour their talents, mystique, credibility and reputation into this true mob tale of Frank Sheeran, a veteran attempting to find his way back into home country life as a truck driver when…

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,…