STAN & OLLIE: A GIFT FOR MOVIE LOVERS
I love this movie! You might think I’m an easy mark as a lifelong fan of Laurel and Hardy, but in fact that makes me more demanding. I rarely find Hollywood biopics satisfying. Never did I dream I could…
DESTROYER: NICOLE KIDMAN GIVES HER ALL—FOR NAUGHT
I don’t know if Nicole Kidman would describe herself as a method actor, but her commitment to a role is nothing less than 100%. Destroyer is just the latest example, made notable by her physical transformation. The parched skin…
CAPERNAUM GOES STRAIGHT TO THE HEART
Small wonder that Nadine Labaki’s Capernaum won the Jury Prize at this year’s Cannes Film Festival and is now the official Oscar entry from Lebanon. We’ve seen stories about youngsters having to fend for themselves before. In this film,…
ON THE BASIS OF SEX: A CONVENTIONAL PORTRAIT OF RBG
On the Basis of Sex is a pretty good movie that has the distinction of being eclipsed by a recent documentary on the same subject: Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. This dramatization was sanctioned by Justice Ginsburg, in…
VICE: HEIGHTENED REALITY FOR SATIRE’S SAKE
It isn’t difficult to recognize Vice as the work of the man who wrote and directed The Big Short, Adam McKay. This is McKay in dark-satire mode, a far cry from his collaborations with Will Ferrell. He presents us…
FIVE NEW DISNEY BOOKS—AND MORE
MICKEY MOUSE: THE ULTIMATE HISTORY by J.B. Kaufman and David Gerstein, edited by Daniel Kothenschulte. (Taschen) This gigantic tome is hard to lift but easy to love. The authors set out to document all facets of Mickey Mouse’s 90-year…
MARY POPPINS: GOOD BUT LESS THAN PRACTICALLY PERFECT
I wish the Disney company would stop remaking and rehashing the gems in its vast library. Do we really need a live-action version of The Lion King? Did anyone ask for a sequel to Mary Poppins, one of the best-loved movies of…
