It’s Mama Frankenstein as fangirl in this soporific account of what led the titular character (Elle Fanning) to pen the greatest monster novel in all creation. Between the wicked stepmother, the princely hero (Douglas Booth, playing the radical poet Percy Shelley as an 18th-century Conrad Birdie), and sets that look …
It’s a race between the British Secret Service and Dr. Fu Manchu (Boris Karloff) to find the lost tomb of Genghis Khan. The Brits had best be the first to break ground lest the merciless Chinese madman — with a British Accent and decked out in an Asian woman’s ceremonial …
Two African-American women, breaking different ground: freshwoman Jasmine (Zoe Renee) is advancing up the road to academia, while Prof. Gail Bishop (Regina Hall) is the first black woman to assume the post of residence hall “Master” of a New England college. Her classmates snicker upon learning of Jasmine’s accommodation, but …
Mateo’s refusal to listen to his younger sister Emilia’s (Tamara Rocca) voicemail or return a phone call finds the 17-year-old drawn to their Aunt Ines’ (Ana Brun) remote, well-timbered lodge while en route to her brother’s unknown whereabouts. Mystery surrounds Mateo: Emilia’s appearance at his workplace gives his suspicious boss …
One immediately senses something amiss when a violent, homophobic cop (Matthew Lillard) is called upon to chaperone his wife’s (Carla Gugino) dissertation interview with an eccentric, 70-year-old Juilliard dance instructor (Patrick Stewart). The cunning, double-dealing dialog held promise for a good thirty minutes into the show. Working from his play …
Haifa, 1968. Yaakov Bride (Adir Miller) escaped the Holocaust with a serpentine scar carved across the middle of his face and a desire to become invisible and assimilate. What better way is there to make a living in the era of free love than as a matchmaker trumpeting fidelity? Teenager …
‘This is a true story.” The presence of this disclaimer (or a reasonable variation thereof) at the outset of a picture suggests a license to speak truth to power. But a corking yarn without a storyteller to spin it is a recipe for a flat soufflé. On paper, The Mauritanian …
Terminally adorable teen cancer comedy destined to be best remembered for what it doesn’t do: shoot straight. One need not scratch much beneath the smattery parental units to expose a soulless core. The dying girl’s horny, alcoholic mom (played to one-note sitcom perfection by Molly Shannon) spends more time flirting …
A fascinatingly original takes on the subject of what made Hitler Hitler, and why a nation paid any mind to a radical loser. It doesn’t take filmmakers Petra Epperlein and Michael Tucker (Gunnar’s Palace) but 125 seconds to mention Trump by name, and still I found myself asking, “Why so …
When was the last time a movie scared the bejeezus out of me? About 10 minutes ago. This Halloween, the shocks come XXXL in The Medium, Banjong Pisanthanakun’s supernatural blend of Thai-Korean horror. A documentary crew is sent to Thailand in 2018 to study the lives of the shamans. (Pisanthanakun’s …
An underage virgin (Dustin Ingram) embarks on a road trip to meet the aging porn star of his dreams (Kim Cattrall). Newcomer Ingram brings enough guileless candor to defray the irritating traits generally assigned to Hollywood dorks. Writer-director Keith Bearden sees to it that the characters are more than cursory …
A recruitment film by any other name, this one aimed at shattering preconceived stereotypes surrounding the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. A happy, shiny, lemonade-blonde Mormon soldier named Jenna opens the show by conducting street interviews with New Yorkers, glibly punctuated by contrary clips from movies and TV …
Rodney Dangerfield's career as a movie star ceased to exist after Back To School (1986). It's been twenty years, but if memory serves, Meet Wally Sparks is so bad it's depressing.
Based on the titular real life Wonder Woman who, together with her bomb-sniffing military dog, Rex, formed their own “hurt kennel” of sorts and helped save over 100 lives during their deployment in Iraq. The film unfolds almost religiously from Leavey’s (Kate Mara) point of view. Perfectly cast, the actress …