There’s a scene in Bite in which a young man, frustrated by the actions of his bride to be, takes a gulp of whiskey, stares into the mirror, and then smashes the glass against the wall in angst-filled rage. The man’s anger is not misplaced, because his betrothed appears to be getting cold feet, which…
Writer/director Shane Black certainly knows how to make a good buddy-cop movie. He chalked a first Hollywood kill with 1987’s “Lethal Weapon,” the tale of two trigger-happy LAPD detectives, now considered a cornerstone of the cannon. His partner on that project was producer (now super-producer) Joel Silver, with the pair continuing to collaborate in the…
Choice. Consequence. Color. Cats. These and more make up the palate of Welcome to Happiness, a quirky and charming fable from debut writer-director Oliver Thompson. Blending Wes Anderson-esque quirkiness with a light spiritual touch, Welcome to Happiness uses bright visuals, a likable cast and delightful music to weave its tale about the choices we make,…
What’s the square root of a relationship? I’m no math master, but the enjoyable Sam Cooke soothingly answers this in a way with his hit song “Wonderful World” with the lyric: “. . . But I do know one and one is two.” And without two, it’s just you. Sure, singleness has its self-sufficient and…
One cannot overlook the Oscar overload of talent tapped to bring in the financial rewards for the tepid on-air monetary hostage drama Money Monster. Acting leads in George Clooney (Academy Award winner for “Syrianna”) and Julia Roberts (Academy Award winner for “Erin Brockovich”) and director Jodie Foster (Academy Award winner for “The Accused” and “The Silence…
“Et tu, Brute?” — William Shakespeare, Julius Caesar, Act 3, Scene 1 Capitalism came into this world the same way in which every other system has been brought about: Through families. Yes, I know . . . you’re probably thinking that I’m full of shit, that I’m making things up, that I’m falling into gross…
The year is 1990. The place is a rural Minnesota town and a man there reports to the police station because his daughter has accused him of raping her. John Gray (David Dencik, “The Homesman”) is polite, cooperative, and remorseful, yet he claims to have no memory of the crime. He insists his daughter is…
