November 30, 2020 “Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey” (**1/2 out of four) was a relatively entertaining holiday adventure musical about the granddaughter (Madelin Mills) of an eccentric toymaker (Forrest Whitaker) who discovers his world of magic and invention and one particular discovery he is working on that could save Christmas and change the world forever. Vibrantly photographed by Remi Adefarasin with eye-popping sets and production design and good musical numbers but story is lumpy and starts to get a little repetitive as it goes on over two hours. Still overall worth watching and kids should love it. Continue reading →
November 29, 2020 “The Comeback Trail” (*1/2 out of four) was a misfired Hollywood comedy about an over-the-hill director and his partner (Robert De Niro and Zach Braff) who owe money to the mob (led by Morris Dingman) and decide to hire a washed-up older actor (Tommy Lee Jones) to have him die as part of an insurance scam so they can recoup their money and pay back their debt but naturally things don’t go as planned. First-rate cast struggles to enliven this flimsy material; some scattershot chuckles but no big laughs. A real disappointment from writer/director George Gallo who in better days wrote the script for “Midnight Run” a much funnier action comedy that also starred De Niro. At this point, both of them could use a “comeback” of their own. Continue reading →
November 29, 2020 “Blithe Spirit” (** out of four) was a strained adaptation of Noël Coward’s famous play about a writer (Dan Stevens) struggling with writer’s block who hires a psychic (Judy Dench) to help him unlock his block but ends up summoning the spirit of his deceased wife (Leslie Mann) and havoc ensues. High-energy cast tries to inject as much as enthusiasm and vigor as they can but what worked on the stage simply doesn’t translate to film. Stevens’ unlikeable character is a significant mitigation against any potential fun. Coward fans would best be brave and re-watch the play instead. Continue reading →
November 28, 2020 “Boss Level” (*** out of four) was a wildly entertaining action thriller about a retired special ops soldier (Frank Grillo) who realizes he is stuck in a never-ending time loop on the day of his death involving an underground crime lord (Mel Gibson) and a female thug (Michelle Yeoh) which he has to repeat over and over again. Bonkers movie in the vein of “Groundhog Day” is over-the-top and violent but moves so fast and has so much propulsive style and action that it’s fun to watch just the same. Grillo’s wry and sardonic performance is perfect antidote to film when it starts to get repetitive. Continue reading →
November 28, 2020 “The Christmas Chronicles 2” (*** out of four) was a delightful sequel to the 2018 hit about a now grown-up Kate (Darby Camp) who becomes unexpectedly reunited with Mr. and Mrs. Santa Claus (Kurt Russell and Goldie Hawn) when an unexpected villain re-appears and threatens to cancel Christmas forever and they all have to save the day. Unabashedly old-fashioned children’s tale is enriched by sumptuous and lavish production design (with candy-colored cinematography from Don Burgess) and winning cast. Yet another entertaining holiday commercial confection from the always dependable writer/director Chris Columbus. Continue reading →
November 27, 2020 “Always And Forever” (** out of four) was a trite suspense thriller about a successful attorney (Cynthia Addai-Robinson) who is reunited with her various childhood friends (Loretta Devine, Lauren London, and others) when tragedy strikes and they find them all being targeted by a deranged stalker and are all in fear for their lives but who could possibly be behind all this? Remains watchable throughout thanks to sleek lighting and solid acting but never breaks out of its routine mold. Finale is particularly weak and final twist isn’t much of a surprise. Continue reading →
November 27, 2020 “Midnight At The Magnolia” (*1/2 out of four) was a mirthless story about two long-time friends and radio hosts (Natalie Hall and Evan Williams) who fake being a couple for their families and listeners in hopes of having their show syndicated and achieve more recognition but complications arise when they actually realize they have feelings for each other. Stale romantic comedy without much romance and without hardly any comedy (or laughs). Even at only an hour-and-27, you can feel the padding here. Unlikely to become a “midnight” movie anytime soon. Continue reading →
November 27, 2020 “Black Beauty” (** out of four) was a wan adaptation of Anna Sewell’s 1877 novel about the title wild horse (voiced by Kate Winslet) and a young girl (Mackenzie Foy) who form an unbreakable bond that becomes tested by time and tragedy. Nicely captured and filmed and has some scattered effective moments but is muted by its sluggish pace. A definite improvement over the dismal 2015 remake and about on par with the 1994 version which also suffered from its plodding storytelling. Winslet’s stirring voice work as the horse is a definite plus. Continue reading →
November 27, 2020 “The Last Three Days” (** out of four) was a tepid time-travel thriller in which a rookie undercover cop (Robert Palmer Watkins) gets mired up with a dangerous underground crime syndicate and wakes up to discover he is missing his partner, his wife, and cannot remember the last three days of his life and has to struggle to piece things back together from the recent past in order to save his and everyone’s future. Needlessly confusing thriller has various story fragments from “Memento” and also “The Bourne Identity” but comes up short; at least it moves fast and is relatively lean at an hour-and-26. Not bad but you’ll likely forget this within the next “three days.” Continue reading →
November 27, 2020 “Team Marco” (** out of four) was a well-intentioned but schmaltzy coming-of-age story about a young boy (Owen Vaccaro) whose grandfather (Anthony Patellis) introduces him to the great sport of bocce ball; when a crew of older Italian men come in and try to invade their turf, the boy rounds up a team to defend them and show them who’s the king of the courts. Obviously a labor of love from writer/director Julio Vincent Gambuto and is nicely played but never fully rises and congeals into anything. Pleasant enough to watch but instantly forgettable. Continue reading →
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