Conclave - 4 Stars - THEATERS - October 25, 2024 - Surprisingly great drama as Catholic Cardinals select a new Pope. Ralph Fiennes at his best.
Wicked Part 1 - 4 Stars - THEATERS - November 22, 2024 - Big, loud, charming, old school Hollywood version of Broadway's prequel to The Wizard of Oz. First of two parts.
Emilia Perez - 4 Stars - NETFLIX - November 1, 2024 - Over the top Operatic Crime Thriller/Comedy/Romance. Musical in Spanish about Cartel leader who changes genders. Wildly creative.
His Three Daughters - 4 Stars - NETFLIX - September 6, 2024
Great actresses Carrie Coon, Elizabeth Olsen, and Natasha Lyonne find truth in drama of a father's last days.
Ghostlight - 4 Stars - STREAMING - PRIME - July 30, 2024 - A grieving construction worker wanders into a community theater group and winds up playing the lead in Romeo and Juliet - a role that heals him and his family.
Steve Martin: A Documentary in Two Pieces - 4 Stars - APPLE - March 29, 2024. Steve Martin receives the documentary he deserves, divided into his rock star days, film career, and current third act. Delightful.
Remembering Gene Wilder - 4 Stars - March 15, 2024 - NETFLIX - STREAMING - Surprisingly moving story of actor Gene Wilder's life - with much narration by Wilder - and career highlights of films worth seeing again.
Jim Henson Idea Man - 4 Stars - May 18, 2024 - STREAMING - DISNEY PLUS - Ron Howard pays tribute to the genius of the man who invented the Muppets.
The Zone of Interest - 4 Stars - February 2, 2024 - STREAMING - NETFLIX - The Auschwitz Commandant and his family live a beautiful life while millions die on the other side of their garden wall. Powerful and un-nerving.
Fancy Dance - 3 1/2 Stars - June 28, 2024 - STREAMING - APPLE PLUS - Lily Gladstone searches for her missing sister, on the run with her niece in a compelling watch covering elements of culture, crime, noir, and road adventure.
Inside Out 2 - 3 1/2 Stars - THEATERS - June 14, 2024 - Fine sequel to Pixar story of a young girl's emotions. In this episode, puberty arrives.
Thelma - 3 1/2 Stars - June 20, 2024 - THEATERS - June Squibb as senior citizen out to get even with the cyber thief who scams her.
Hit Man - 3 1/2 Stars - May 24, 2024 - STREAMING - NETFLIX - Geek posing as hit man gets involved with fem fatale who wants to off her husband. Delightful update of Double Indemnity with charismatic Glen Powell and sultry Adria Arjona.
Anora - 3 Stars - THEATERS - November 1, 2024 - Mikey Madison as sex worker who connects with the son of a Russian mobster. On a bender in Las Vegas, the couple marry. The family's not happy. Part Porn, Comedy, and Drama. This ain't no Pretty Woman.
Janet Planet - 3 Stars - Mother/Daughter Drama - Young Zoe Ziegler steals every scene, as a 12-year-old navigating her mother Julianne Nicholson's hippie lifestyle.
The Apprentice - 3 Stars - October 11, 2024 - THEATERS - Surprisingly well-done Donald Trump hatchet job. Good acting and a plot right out of Citizen Kane. Not sure the world needs this.
The Instigators - 3 Stars - APPLE - August 2, 2024. Matt Damon and Casey Affleck turn a robbery gone bad into a grand adventure. Better than it ought to be.
Saturday Night - 2 1/2 Stars - THEATERS - October 4, 2024. Tries to recreate the first night of Saturday Night Live and never comes close. Maybe nostalgia isn't as good as it used to be.
Between the Temples - 2 1/2 Stars - THEATERS - August 23, 2024 - Mildly entertaining crisis of faith with Jason Schwartzman as a Cantor who can't sing.
Maria - 2 Stars - NETFLIX - December 11, 2024 --Angelina Jolie vamps around for a couple of hours as Maria Callas.
Blitz - 2 Stars - APPLE TV - November 22, 2024 - 9 ear old evacuated during wartime London rebels and finds his way home.
A Real Pain - 2 Stars - THEATERS - November 1, 2024 - Cousins Jesse Eisenberg and Kieran Culkin visit Poland to honor their late grandmother's roots. This mismatched buddy movie turns annoying fast.
Woman of the Hour - 2 Stars - Anna Kendrick stars and directs the story of a woman on The Dating Game who wins a date with a serial killer.
Wolfs - 2 Stars - APPLE - September 1, 2024 - Superstars George Clooney and Brad Pitt phone it in as "cleaners" working the same job.
Wicked Little Letters - 2 Stars - PRIME - March 29, 2024. Olivia Coleman and Jesse Buckley do their breath to breathe life into the slight story of a proper English woman who receives vile expletive filled letters and blames her neighbor. Slight stuff for two great actresses.
The Substance - 1 Star - PRIME - September 20, 2024. Demi Moore discovers a substance that let her younger self emerge. But the younger self won't play by the rules. The body horror begins.
