I FEEL PRETTY: GOOD INTENTIONS DON’T PAY OFF
Amy Schumer is so likable in the early stages of this fable that I found myself actively rooting for the movie. I wanted it to be good, as poignant and believable as its leading character. Alas, I Feel Pretty runs aground…
THE RIDER: A SLEEPER YOU SHOULDN’T MISS
Simplicity is not in vogue among today’s filmmakers, but The Rider is so consistently good that it has wowed critics and audiences on the film festival circuit. It has also accumulated an impressive number of awards. Now that it’s in theaters…
NEW AND NOTABLE FILM BOOKS – April 2018
TRAVELS WITH WALT DISNEY: A PHOTOGRAPHIC VOYAGE AROUND THE WORLD by Jeff Kurtti (Disney Editions) I’m a sucker for anything to do with Walt Disney. This handsomely designed volume documents his many travels, including a stint as an ambulance…
A QUIET PLACE: WHERE SOUND BRINGS TERROR
I don’t enjoy horror films for the most part but I was glued to the screen for A Quiet Place, a truly scary movie that’s artfully executed. John Krasinski directed, co-wrote the script, and stars in the film with his…
CHAPPAQUIDDICK: HISTORY MADE HUMAN
Even if you aren’t old enough to remember the sensational incident that inspired this movie, Chappaquiddick offers a fascinating portrait of a man burdened by a family curse: Edward “Ted” Kennedy. The year is 1969 and the junior senator from Massachusetts…
‘READY PLAYER ONE’ ALMOST WINS
I am not a gamer, but I had no trouble immersing myself in the hyperkinetic world of Steven Spielberg’s Ready Player One and had a good time watching it—for a while. I don’t share the same degree of nostalgia for…
‘ISLE OF DOGS’ OFFERS REWARDS—AND REGRETS
It may be the height of redundancy to call a Wes Anderson film eccentric, but that’s the word that comes to mind as I ponder his newest creation, Isle of Dogs. Like The Fantastic Mr. Fox, it is executed in stop-motion animation and…
