Finally, a Transformers film that I wanted to rewatch for myself, and to show to my sons. With Bumblebee, out of the heavy-handed, robot-smacking control of Michael Bay [seriously, Bad Boys, The Rock, etc. are awesome, but his Transformers films not so much], Travis Knight (Kubo and the Two Strings) takes our favorite yellow robot and makes him… amazing. While the… [Read More]
The Mule: It’s Never Too Late
The sad reality is that every new Clint Eastwood film could be his last. After more than six decades on the Silver Screen, Eastwood—now eighty-eight—is fighting the one opponent he can’t beat—Father Time. There’s an obvious hitch in his step, a veritable roadmap of years and miles on his face. The gritty growl of Josie… [Read More]
If Beale Street Could Talk: Smooth Jazz and Social Commentary
“Every black person born in America was born on Beale Street, born in the black neighborhood of some American city, whether in Jackson, Mississippi, or in Harlem, New York. Beale Street is our legacy.” – James Baldwin, If Beale Street Could Talk Set in early 1970s Harlem, If Beale Street Could Talk tells the story of Tish… [Read More]
Mary Poppins Returns: Updating a Classic
How do you build on a classic? That was the charge given to screenwriter David Magee (Finding Neverland, Life of Pi) and director Rob Marshall (Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, Into the Woods, upcoming The Little Mermaid). Set twenty-five years after the Julie Christie and Dick Van Dyke original, the film finds Poppins returning to… [Read More]
Second Act: Take the Chance
Director Peter Segal had been quiet for the five years after a series of Adam Sandler hits (50 First Dates, Anger Management) and the boxing dud Grudge Match. Now, he’s resurfaced with the Jennifer Lopez-led Second Act and The Pacifier/Spy Next Door-like Dave Bautista film, My Spy, due this year. With Lopez, Vanessa Hudgens, Leah Remini, Dan Bucatinsky, Milo Ventimiglia, and Treat… [Read More]
