I don’t know what it is about “The Founder” that feels so familiar. Something about a smug and greedy capitalist screwing over a couple of ethical and moral small businessman just sounds like something I’ve heard about recently. I’ll think of it, I’m sure. “The Founder” tells the story of Ray Kroc, a man who […]
Film
Calm Like a Bomb
An atheist, a Christian, a Buddhist and a Catholic walk into a theater to see “Silence.” As they are leaving, the Buddhist says, “Did you see Buddha in the film walking invisibly across the characters’ hearts?” The Christian says, “Did you see the power of love and how it gives us strength?” The Catholic says, […]
A Flood of Movies
Now that we’re ever so slowly inching our way out of January, the theatrical doldrums of the post-holiday world will be mostly behind us. While 2017 will see a ton of new sequels, reboots, remakes and the like, there are also quite a few interesting original properties headed our way. Here’s a look at just […]
Ben Affleck Has His First Stumble as a Director
Ben Affleck was a joke a little over a decade ago. He was tabloid fodder every week due to his relationship with Jennifer Lopez, while at the same time having a string of terribly received films starting with 2003’s “Daredevil.” With 2007’s “Gone Baby Gone” Affleck quietly slipped into the director’s chair and made one […]
I’m Friends With the Monster
The story behind the book version of “A Monster Calls” is a tragic one. Siobhan Dowd was an activist and a writer in the UK. She was diagnosed with breast cancer and, during her terminal illness, came up with the story of a young boy fighting to come to terms with his mother’s fate. She […]
Space Racism
The trailers for “Hidden Figures” have been omnipresent for at least six months. I've seen the trailer for “Hidden Figures” at least 50 times over the last few months and it made me feel like I’d already seen the film. Luckily, the film is such a warmhearted crowd pleaser that it’s hard to hold its […]
A Little Night Music
I try to go into films wide open, hoping to love each one I see. I take no pleasure in ripping a movie to shreds, because the amount of work that goes into making them is staggering and no one intends to make a terrible film. Still, I wasn’t quite sold on “La La Land.” […]
The Great Wall
I had a pretty terrible stepfather growing up; a redneck cop who spent his free time encouraging me not to read, think or grow. When I moved out, I carried this weird mixture of fear and rage with me. I eventually grew up and tried to let it go. I barely think about him anymore, […]
Flicks that Ripped
Whittling down to 10 top movies of the year was hard, but my #1 never changed. These might not be the “Best” movies of the year, but they are most certainly my favorite. 10 Morris From America: A romantic coming-of-age drama about a 13-year old American boy falling in love for the first time while […]
Good Stuff, Not-So-Good Stuff
Every year there are films that are wonderful, yet are completely ignored by audiences, eventually attracting a cult following several years later. On the opposite end there are movies that critics and audiences alike think are giant piles of crap. Here are a couple of films misunderstood or over-loved by audiences this year. Underrated: The […]

