It was with the third film that the Karate Kid franchise really lost its way. The 1984 original is a classic underdog sports movie/coming-of-age tale about bullied teen Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) learning to defend himself with the help of wise old handyman Mr. Miyagi (Pat Morita). The Karate Kid …
Read More »'Project Power' Review: Superheroes, Only a Pill Away (Side Effects May Occur)
Set over a day and night in New Orleans, Project Power (now streaming on Netflix) pivots on a hot new street drug called Power that you swallow like a pill and kaboom! You’re a superhero. Well, you’re a superhero for five minutes … and the damn thing can kill you. …
Read More »'Radioactive' Review: Madame Curie Gets Her Electro-Charged Biopic
Banish the dull images of test tubes and musty lecture halls when considering Radioactive (available on Amazon Prime starting July 24th). The biopic traces the career trajectory of Madame Marie Curie (a magnificent Rosamund Pike), the Polish immigrant born Maria Salomea Skłodowska who became the first person — and the …
Read More »'All I Can Say' Review: The Life and Death of a Rock Star, in His Own Words
In 1990, Richard Shannon Hoon started filming himself. He seems like he might be any young dude killing time in Lafayette, Indiana — backwards baseball cap, sandy-blond stubble, a slight hint of a Southern twang — an all-American early-Nineties everybro, in other words. Hoon has a girlfriend named Lisa, a …
Read More »'Mr. Jones': Stalin Thriller Is Saddled With Too Many Important Stories to Tell
A good idea for a biopic doesn’t always find its ideal reflection on screen. Look what happened to Leonardo DiCaprio’s J. Edgar (as in Hoover), Hilary Swank’s Amelia (as in Earhart) and Colin Farrell’s Alexander (as in the Great). To that list of stymied ambition, add Mr. Jones, as in …
Read More »'The Whistlers' Review: When Pulp Fiction Met Romanian New Wave Perfection
Say “the Romanian New Wave” to folks who tend to order their cinema off-menu, and they’ll happily regale you with tales of long takes, deliberate paces, dour perspectives and a serious distrust of authority. They’ll also tell you that the country has produced some of the most complex, captivating movies …
Read More »'The Photograph' Review: Sparks Fly Until the Plot Puts Them Out
For a Valentine’s trip to the movies, you couldn’t wish for a hotter and more talented pair of lovers than Issa Rae and LaKeith Stanfield. He’s Mike, a New York journalist working for The Republic, an online publication that allows him the time and space and support to feel his …
Read More »'Star Trek: Picard' Review: The Great Beyond
“Engage.” This was the simple command that Captain Jean-Luc Picard uttered so often throughout the seven-season run of Star Trek: The Next Generation — the final word before the starship Enterprise headed off on a new adventure. But engage is also what so many recent TV revivals fail to do. …
Read More »'The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel' Season 3: Midge Hits the Road, the Show Hits Some Roadblocks
This post contains full spoilers for the third season of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, which is available now on Amazon Prime Video. The sixth episode of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel Season Three opens with an impressive piece of choreography. We are looking down on a swimming pool as a group …
Read More »'The Good Liar' Review: McKellen, Mirren Match Wits in Missed-Opportunity Thriller
Sir Ian McKellen is 80 years old; Dame Helen Mirren is 74. Individually, these veteran thespians, each with decades of work on stage and screen under the belts, are capable of out-acting, outrunning and outgunning performers one third their age. This is not disputable. They can both go big, broad, …
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