Miss Sharon Jones! documentary review: get up, get on back up
Cheer-worthy portrait of a singer for whom overcoming adversity has been a mainstay, and a testament to the power of music and family to keep a gal going.
Month: July 2016
Into the Forest movie review: end of the world, not as we’ve known it
An atypical disaster movie, less about the failure of technology than the failure — and perhaps the resurgence — of the human spirit in the face of that.
Jason Bourne movie review: Bourne again, but why?
Everything looks great on paper here: Damon’s brawny presence; the smartly staged action, etc. And it’s not unfun. But it feels less black ops than old hat.
Disorder (aka Maryland) movie review: security blank
Moments of genuine tension are few in this would-be suspenseful thriller, which can’t settle on a state of mind for its protagonist, or for its own story.
Train to Busan (Busanhaeng) movie review: delays due to zombies
This South Korean hit is an oozy doozy of a horror-thriller; confidently spins out its own unique — and breathless — take on familiar genre tropes.
Star Trek Beyond movie review: future positive (but it won’t come easily)
Intense action; smart, funny nods to its roots while moving in a new direction; and explicit confrontation of a problem always at the heart of Star Trek.
Ice Age: Collision Course movie review: where is a mass extinction when you need one?
The Ice Age flicks are the cinematic equivalent of drive-through nuggets of reconstituted chicken slurry served by a bored teenager in a cardboard hat.
Love Between the Covers documentary review: respect for romance
Delightful. A sharp, affectionate peek inside the cozy, supportive community of writers and readers that drives multibillion-dollar romance book publishing.
Ghostbusters movie review: boo yeah!
Kate McKinnon’s gleefully reckless physicist is brainy comic mayhem, unlike any female character we’ve seen before. And there are more reasons to cheer.
the pioneering women of documentary film
I wrote a thing for PBS’s Independent Lens blog. Here’s the beginning… [This post is not behind the paywall.]
