Leonard Maltin's Movie Crazy

REVIEWING GROUCHO, HARPO, CHICO, JIMMY STEWART—AND ME

Blogs Film Leonard Maltin Movie Reviews October 24, 2016

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It’s a bit awkward reviewing projects in which I am involved. I’ve always made a practice of stating it up front, even though in most cases I’m only a contributor and not responsible for the documentary, book, or DVD as a whole. That doesn’t mean I can hide or ignore my enthusiasm for some of these endeavors, and that’s true of these new releases. I am quoted in the promotion of Robert S. Bader’s massive new tome Four of the Three Musketeers: The Marx Brothers On Stage (Northwestern University Press). Robert is a friend who has been obsessively pursuing this project for years, documenting little-known (and often unknown) facts about the brothers’ early years in vaudeville and eventual move to Broadway. It’s amazing to…

THE AMAZING STAN LEE

Blogs Interviews Leonard Maltin October 21, 2016

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An assignment from Parade magazine, the popular Sunday newspaper supplement, enabled me to spend some quality time with Stan Lee. I learned long ago that he’s a diehard movie buff so I knew we’d have fun chatting. More importantly, he has a good sense of humor and was willing to answer my hard-hitting questions–like which Marvel characters would he like to dine with? You can read the piece here to find out. The Amazing Stan Lee!

A REACH TOO FAR: JACK REACHER NEVER GO BACK

Film In Theaters Leonard Maltin Movie Reviews October 21, 2016

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Tom Cruise embodies the meaning of “movie star” better than anyone else working today. He still looks great and effortlessly commands the screen, especially in a vehicle like this that plays to his strengths: lots of running and physical action, a fair amount of flirting but no sex. Jack Reacher is an ex-military officer who lacks only a cape and spandex costume to qualify as a superhero. He’s a one-man Army who can take on three or four brawny bad guys at a time and pummel them all, walking away with barely a scratch or sign of a struggle. That can be fun to watch for a while, but this sequel to 2012’s Jack Reacher doesn’t have any other tricks up its sleeve. Reacher and…

MYSTERY MEN AND WOMEN ON SCREEN

Journal Leonard Maltin October 19, 2016

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As a lifelong collector of movie stills I’ve accumulated a number of shots I can’t identify. Friends have helped me pinpoint actors’ faces and I’ve made good use of the production code guidebook published by the folks at LAMP (Learn About Movie Posters), which explains those markings in the lower corner of many stills. But there are still unsolved mysteries. Now the Library of Congress is attempting to accomplish the same task on a larger scale…and for posterity, not just one collector’s library. Cary O’Dell of the National Recording Registry initially sent me a handful of images to see if I could help, and I couldn’t. Since then Cary has posted a series of blogs in the hope that someone “out there” can come up…

TV FOR EVERYONE: ‘QUEEN SUGAR’

Contributors Movie Reviews Television TV October 19, 2016

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[by Greg Ehrbar] Three siblings endure and enjoy the paths of their lives as they separate and intersect in this addictive new series created by Ava DuVernay (Selma, Middle of Nowhere). One sister is a high-powered attorney balancing work, family and high-profile scandal. Another sister is an idealistic journalist driven to right wrongs even at the expense of her personal life. Their brother, a single father just released from jail, contends with the stigma of his conviction and the temptation to fall again. At the surface, this could be a primetime soap. But in the hands of DuVernay, sharp writing and a gifted cast that says as much with silences as words, Queen Sugar is a natural for binge viewing, now that almost half a…

‘THE ACCOUNTANT’ DOESN’T ADD UP

Film In Theaters Leonard Maltin Movie Reviews October 14, 2016

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For sheer novelty value The Accountant scores points: not only is the action hero a Certified Public Accountant–he’s also autistic. It’s an intriguing idea at first. The boy’s military father practices “tough love” bullying—and how to fight back. Affleck grows up to be a C.P.A., better with numbers than he is at connecting with people or making small talk. Meanwhile, Treasury Department crime chief J.K. Simmons gives one of his top agents (Cynthia Addai-Robinson) the task of tracking down a mystery man who is seen in a handful of photos with some of the top mobsters and drug dealers in the world. It turns out to be Affleck, who is with them because he’s cooking their books. His cover is an accounting office in a strip mall…

‘CHRISTINE’ IS SPINE-TINGLINGLY GOOD

Blogs Film In Theaters Leonard Maltin Movie Reviews October 14, 2016

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Rebecca Hall is one of the best actresses working today, a woman of great versatility and command of the screen. Like any great performer she makes what she does look easy, unfortunately she hasn’t received the attention or acclaim she deserves—until now. Christine gives her an extraordinarily juicy role and she makes the most of it. What’s more, her efforts are supported by a flawless production that re-creates a recognizable time and place: a small television news station in the 1970s. It would be easy to mock the conventions of this quaint Sarasota TV operation, but director Antonio Campos and first-time screenwriter Craig Shilowich resist the temptation. What they do instead is make it so tangibly real—right down to the editing of Super 8mm film…

JAY KELLY

Nouvelle Vague

LABORS OF LOVE: FROM HITCHCOCK TO LAUREL & HARDY

WHAT’S NEW ON DVD/BLU/4K IN NOVEMBER

A BIT OF CRUMPET PT. 2

A BIT OF CRUMPET PT. 1

TRAIN DREAMS