The real-life tale that brought Film Stars Don’t Die in Liverpool displays deep love

Unless you’re a bonafide film buff whose expertise and passions go back to the black-and-white days, you might now be familiar with the work of actress Gloria Grahame. Even though her credits on IMDb.com run 64 projects long and includes the 1953 Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in The Bad and the…

Julianne Moore loans her soap opera power of the past to Bel Canto

Picture a hostage situation where everybody gets along inside the gates. That’s what unfolds during the 100 minutes of Bel Canto, the political thriller/musical (you betcha!) directed and co-written by Paul Weitz with writing help by Anthony Weintraub in the adaptation from the novel from Ann Patchett. Patchett herself based her 2001 bestselling novel on…

Donald Sutherland, Helen Mirren travel with all they can muster in The Leisure Seeker

The whereabouts of the Spencers has son Will curious as he comes to meet his parents and can’t find John and Ella anywhere around their house. But when he discovers their old Winnebago gone from its longtime parking spot, well, first he gets furious, and them somewhat worried. And thus we are off with The…

When they say Bad Times at the El Royale, they ain’t kiddin’

We meet the folks checking into the eccentric place by the name of the El Royale as the odd duck clerk asks them an important question. In which state would they like to book a room? This joint drawn up in this quirky piece written and directed by Drew Godard, you see, sits on the…

Glenn Close perfectly holds her secret, but The Wife remains imperfect

Glenn Close deserved all that acclaim for her work in The Wife. She took the role of Joan Castleman first drawn up in Meg Wolitzer’s novel and wrenched every emotional nuance out of the story as she and writer husband Joe embark on the journey to accept the Nobel Prize. We meet them in their…

Nothing’s as easy as it seems in A Simple Favor

Stephanie Smothers seems to lead an uncomplicated life, sure, when we meet her at the start of A Simple Favor. The single mom earns her attention online. No, not those type of sites. She sets up a camera and runs her own mommy vlog, dispensing tips for women of similar mind and pursuits. Then one…

We know Dwayne Johnson can play strong guys, but Skyscraper may stretch the limit

Bad guys foiled by the guy played by Dwayne Johnson? Now that’s a comfortable enough fit for The Rock. Yet still, an eyebrow might be raised at what director and writer Rawson Marshall Thurber put the harried guy by the name of Will Sawyer through in Skyscraper. Maybe both eyebrows. Sawyer, a former FBI guy,…

Sure, sometimes they do go Overboard with the schtick, but you still gotta love Eugenio Derbez and Anna Faris at the end

Sometimes unlikely stuff plays out up there on the screen. Hollywood folks can decide to flip the roles in three-decades-later remake of a flick that’s somewhat of a cult classic and it can turn out … Lots of fun. Take the new Overboard. Really. This new version, directed by Rob Greenberg from his screenplay written…

A Kid Like Jake doesn’t quite know where to go

Things are going quite well for this urban family in the Big Apple as psychologist dad does his figuring out at the office, former-attorney mom happily stays home to raise their son and said kid Jake has a fine time creatively dressing up as his favorite story characters, in his room and with the other…

Sorry, Rick, I didn’t feel much sympathy for you

Yes, this kid truly was put in many tough situations. It was not easy being one Richard Wersche Jr. in Detroit circa 1973. Richard Sr. thought it was a good idea to cart his just-turned-teenager son around to gun shows with him to exploit his knowledge of assault weapons. For buying and selling. The FBI…