Have you ever hailed someone? You know, much more than just greeting, rather saluting in a profound, almost belittling veneration signaling an orderly obedience. Neither have I. I’ve been close, though. I’m too much of a fetishist to resist the temptation every now and then. My kind of people are artists and thinkers, preferably dead…
Everyone can agree that the exceedingly spry “Kung Fu Panda” film series have been certified exquisite and adventurous productions from day one. It is no surprise that the third installment, Kung Fu Panda 3, continues to carry the mantle by being a gorgeously stylish and visually arresting computer-animation film exuding a vibrant cheekiness that shines. More important…
I, for one, never thought there could ever be a more sarcastic super hero than Spider-Man, but boy, was I mistaken. Tim Miller, in his directorial debut (although he was creative supervisor on “Scott Pilgrim vs. the World”) finally finishes up, Deadpool, a concept nearly eight years in the can. Deadpool, a character created by…
Nostalgia and movie sequelitis are the two main ingredients that invite back the majority of films from yesteryear looking to make a big screen impact yet again. This, of course, applies to both cinematic gems and duds alike. Nowadays, the urge to tap into celebrated or soured fare from yesterday has proven to be a…
Some romantic comedies can be conventional in nature and not really want to invest in anything substantive beyond the familiar follow-the-dots formula of lightweight lunacy. In director Christian Ditter’s romantic romp How to be Single the gloves come off and are thrown in an entirely different direction. Sure, one can applaud Ditter for not hanging any…
Love has an incredible ability to warm and soothe the soul (fireplaces can do that, too!) and it’s interesting to find stories of unexpected romances set in different times and spaces. It can present the illusion of freshness for a tale as old as fuzzy cucumber slices underneath a car seat. But the illusion is…
Director Nicholas Hytner (“The History Boys”) serves up a poignant portrait of a disillusioned elderly British bag lady marching to the beat of her own distinctive drum in the uplifting and quirky dramedy The Lady in the Van. Hytner’s touching and slightly offbeat character study is certainly a triumphant turn for revered veteran actress Dame…
