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Rocketman movie review: what makes a rock star, and what unmakes him
Joyful and rowdy, self-deprecating and vulnerable, absolutely electrifying as it deconstructs the sex-drugs-and-rock’n’-roll story. Taron Egerton is chills-inducingly good. Sheer cinematic magic.
new and ongoing cinema releases, US/Can, May 24
A simple listing of movies opening this week and in continuing release.
movies by or about women opening US/Can May 22–24
Jill Magid directs documentary The Proposal, about her own performance-art project; more… [This post is for Patreon patrons only for the first month.]
curated: how has no one made a movie about Aloha Wanderwell yet?!
How is it possible that I’ve never heard of this pioneering female filmmaker before? Oh, right: it’s because she was a female filmmaker.
new and ongoing cinema releases, UK/Ire, May 22-24
A simple listing of movies opening this week and in continuing release.
movies by or about women opening UK/Ire May 24
Dominga Sotomayor Castillo writes and directs Chilean coming-of-age drama Too Late to Die Young; more… [This post is for Patreon patrons only for the first month.]
XY Chelsea documentary review: the truth will out
Pensively melancholy, this jagged, humane portrait of US Army whistleblower Chelsea Manning is a massive challenge to the notion of soldiering as a good way for a lost young person to find oneself.
new flash fiction from me to you…
…if you’re my Patreon patron, that is. (Only $1/mo to read this story and others!)
Trial by Fire and My Days of Mercy movies review: two (rare) new dramas about the US death penalty
Two very different films, replete with emotionally engaging performances, examine the impact of the American death penalty from the large-scale legal and political to that of intimate personal grief.
curated: always be nyuk-nyuk-ing Nazis
How have I never heard about these Three Stooges shorts before?
Booksmart movie review: these kids today, with their academic overachievement and their niceness…
A rare treat: a perfect film. Smart, funny, wise, sparkling with wit both visually and in its snappy dialogue. A self-assured directorial debut from Olivia Wilde, confident and effortless. Pure joy.
Aladdin (2019) movie review: cave of blunders
The romance lacks chemistry, and the villain lacks bite. It seems embarrassed to be a musical, failing to embrace the necessary ineffable daydreaminess. Somehow even more cartoonish as live-action.
new and ongoing dvd/blu/vod releases, US/Can, May 21
A simple listing of new releases and other stuff currently available.
new and ongoing dvd/blu/vod releases, UK/Ire, May 20–24
A simple listing of new releases and other stuff currently available.
new sci-fi/fantasy/horror flash fiction by me for your amusement
Please support my Patreon — for which you get intriguing genre flash fiction — so I don’t have to get a real job, which will kill me.
new and ongoing cinema releases, US/Can, May 17
A simple listing of movies opening this week and in continuing release.
movies by or about women opening US/Can May 15–17
Ry Russo-Young directs romantic drama The Sun Is Also a Star, costarring Yara Shahidi; more… [This post is for Patreon patrons only for the first month.]
new and ongoing cinema releases, UK/Ire, May 15–17
A simple listing of movies opening this week and in continuing release.
movies by or about women opening UK/Ire May 17
Tali Shalom-Ezer directs romantic drama My Days of Mercy, starring Ellen Page and Kate Mara; more… [This post is for Patreon patrons only for the first month.]
new and ongoing dvd/blu/vod releases, US/Can, May 14–17
A simple listing of new releases and other stuff currently available.
new and ongoing dvd/blu/vod releases, UK/Ire, May 13–17
A simple listing of new releases and other stuff currently available.
John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum movie review: symphony in order and chaos
Modern noir god Keanu Reeves again stalks a fantasy(ish) world of exhausting, inventive violence. But this time, the curtain is drawn back on the sham of seeming orderliness in its world (and ours).
Homecoming: A Film by Beyoncé documentary review: Beychella inside and out (#Netflix)
If you don’t get why Beyoncé is worshipped as a goddess, this glorious pop spectacle — part concert film, part myth-in-the-making — will fix that. Enormously entertaining, and absolutely landmark.
curated: were the works attributed to Shakespeare written by a woman?
This is the first argument against William Shakespeare as the playwright that seems convincing to me. And it’s not only plausible but deliciously radical.
new and ongoing cinema releases, US/Can, May 08–10
A simple listing of movies opening this week and in continuing release.
movies by or about women opening US/Can May 08–10
Diane Keaton and Celia Weston star in comedy Poms, directed by Zara Hayes; more… [This post is for Patreon patrons only for the first month.]
new and ongoing cinema releases, UK/Ire, May 10
A simple listing of movies opening this week and in continuing release.
movies by or about women opening UK/Ire May 10
Aretha Franklin headlines concert documentary Amazing Grace; more… [This post is for Patreon patrons only for the first month.]
A Dog’s Journey movie review: Does the Dog Die? The Movie
Pure rerun of A Dog’s Purpose: Pooch Bailey returns again and again (again) in different bodies to love and serve his humans. A sappy tail, pleasantly daydreamy. I’m not crying you’re crying.
Tolkien movie review: it doesn’t wander, but it’s lost
This infuriatingly reductive biopic of the Hobbit author renders him as stolid and dull, and removes all the mystery and the wonder from creative inspiration. Literal-minded and free of magic.
new and ongoing dvd/blu/vod releases, US/Can, May 06–10
A simple listing of new releases and other stuff currently available.
new and ongoing dvd/blu/vod releases, UK/Ire, May 06–10
A simple listing of new releases and other stuff currently available.
Pokémon: Detective Pikachu movie review: destined to be Legendary
Designed to cash in on the popular mobile game, this kiddie noir nevertheless sparkles with charming originality. Gentle enough for tykes but with satirical bite for grownups, too. Downright adorable.
new and ongoing cinema releases, US/Can, May 03
A simple listing of movies opening this week and in continuing release.
movies by or about women opening US/Can May 03
Sex therapist Ruth Westheimer is featured in documentary Ask Dr. Ruth; more… [This post is for Patreon patrons only for the first month.]
curated: a brief history of spoilers
“Spoilers have been infuriating people since Victorian times” LOL…
new and ongoing cinema releases, UK/Ire, May 03
A simple listing of movies opening this week and in continuing release.
movies by or about women opening UK/Ire May 03
Linda Cardellini stars in horror mystery The Curse of La Llorona, cowritten by Mikki Daughtry; more… [This post is for Patreon patrons only for the first month.]
Long Shot movie review: not-so-radical romantic agenda
House of Cards as a satirical workplace comedy, with just a touch of rom-com thrown in to render it genuinely sweetly sexy. Theron and Rogen share palpable chemistry, both comic and romantic.
new and ongoing dvd/blu/vod releases, US/Can, Apr 30–May 03
A simple listing of new releases and other stuff currently available.
new and ongoing dvd/blu/vod releases, UK/Ire, Apr 29–May 03
A simple listing of new releases and other stuff currently available.
Avengers: Endgame movie review: with a bang *and* a whimper
A miraculous blend of grief and humor. Big, bold, brash, then sneakily meta. I am only starting to get my head around the emotional and creative right-hook of it. A fitting end (for now) to the MCU.
new sci-fi flash fiction by yours truly
See the object at The British Museum that inspired this week’s story, and read the opening of the story itself.
which Netflix movie should I review next?
Results are in…
new and ongoing cinema releases, US/Can, Apr 26
A simple listing of movies opening this week and in continuing release.
movies by or about women opening US/Can Apr 26
Elizabeth Rynecki directs documentary Chasing Portraits, about her own personal family quest; more… [This post is for Patreon patrons only for the first month.]
new and ongoing cinema releases, UK/Ire, Apr 25-26
A simple listing of movies opening this week and in continuing release.
movies by or about women opening UK/Ire Apr 26
Elsie Fisher stars in tween dramedy Eighth Grade; more… [This post is for Patreon patrons only for the first month.]
Bel Canto movie review: Stockholm syndrome, a love story
This tonal misfire never hits the notes of drama and romance it aims for with its ickily problematic terrorist-hostage relationships. Facile and uncomfortably implausible, emotionally and practically.
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