The makers of “The Possession of Hannah Grace” clearly intended for it to be dark. After all, it’s about an exorcism that goes horribly wrong, resulting in further mayhem months later at a morgue. But they probably didn’t...
I’ve struggled with how to start writing about Criterion’s release of “Ingmar Bergman’s Cinema.” How does one begin to wrap their arms around the career of a master? And, make no mistake, this is a career-defining...
In 1937, the Nazi Party organized a notorious "degenerate art" exhibition, which opened in Munich before traveling through other German cities. Hitler had been railing against modern art for years (the artists were all "incompetents, cheats and...
Comedy and horror are such strange bedfellows. As an odd couple, they’ve spawned movies like Mel Brooks’ “Young Frankenstein,” Tim Burton’s “Beetlejuice” and Jordan Peele’s “Get Out.”...
It’s 2018 AD and 67 year-old Indian film Super Star Rajinikanth (the "Super Star" must be included in all of his films’ advertisements, according to his contract) has starred in two of the most energizing films of the year. "Kaala," the...
A young Chinese woman named Shen Man sits in front of her computer, in front of a camera, in front of five million followers. Some of her online audience members have a lot more money than others. She sings and talks to them as they shower her with...
It’s just four days until Christmas and Blitzen the reindeer has abruptly announced his retirement from pulling Santa’s sleigh so he can pursue his lifelong dream of running a juice bar. At the press conference, a journalist has an...
I imagine fans of Pixar's "Inside Out" might like the patronizing but well-meaning animated Japanese fantasy "Mirai." That's not a knock on Pixar fans (well, maybe a small knock) so much as an up-front acknowledgment that both "Inside Out" and...
“The Mercy” is one of those movies where I found myself with more questions than answers by the end. These were not questions of a philosophical nature, but more along the lines of “Why did anyone feel that this was a story...
The screenplay for "Blood Brother" establishes an intriguing premise, filled with broken alliances, conflicted allegiances, and a dark secret from the past that could either bring together a group of old friends or destroy whatever remains of their...