October 5, 2025 “Caught Stealing” (** out of four) was an ungainly pulp melodrama set in 1990’s NYC about a former baseball player (Austin Butler) who falls on hard times and becomes embroiled in the criminal underworld and locks horns with a street-smart cop (Regina King) who tries to outmaneuver him at every turn. Vibrant and gritty NYC atmosphere harks back to early period John Cassavetes or Nick Gomez but the central character and story are unappealing and thus uninvolving. A huge disappointment from director Darren Aronofsky who has done far better and richer character studies in the past. King is strong as usual but there’s otherwise not much else worth “stealing” here. Continue reading →
October 5, 2025 “The Naked Gun” (** out of four) was a half-cocked remake of the 1988 comedy classic about the son (Liam Neeson) of Frank Drebbin who is just as bumbling as his dad as he investigates a ruthless businessman (Danny Huston) and falls in comic love with a femme fatale (Pamela Anderson). Opens with a very funny bank robbery scene and has some solid laughs in following half-hour but then fizzles out and goes flat and never recovers and is nowhere near as uproarious as the original (or any of its sequels). Neeson is game in one of his first comedy roles but can’t overcome the overall weak material. Continue reading →
October 5, 2025 “The Toxic Avenger” (*1/2 out of four) was a mindless remake of the unwatchable 1984 Trauma horror comedy that somehow is now regarded as “a cult classic”; once again, a nerd janitor (Peter Dinklage) becomes transformed by toxic chemicals into a bloodthirsty avenger and does battle with a sinister underworld villain (Kevin Bacon- and what the hell is he doing in this movie?). Nowhere near as toxically awful and inept as the original and is colorfully shot by Dana Gonzales but still pretty ugly and stupid. For diehard toxie/Trauma fans only. Filmed in 2023 and languished on the shelf for years. Continue reading →
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