“Borat Subsequent Moviefim,” 2020, directed by Jason Woliner — 3.5/5 Stars The first “Borat” was shocking and over-the-top. Sacha Baron Cohen’s unscripted, part-real, part-mockumentary film left audiences slack-jawed, stunned and hungry for more. Despite the attention it got, the movie’s sheer vulgarity may have skewed its intended message of mocking American stupidity and xenophobia. Those…
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“Enola Holmes,” 2020, directed by Harry Bradbeer – 2.5/5 Stars While “Enola Holmes” likely sounded good on paper to a conference room of Netflix executives, it was doomed to be mediocre from the point of its conception. It’s an unbeatable formula: an adaption of a popular young adult novel with an all-star cast and a…
Movies, Movies, Movies
“Palm Springs,” 2020, directed by Max Barbakow – 4/5 Stars It might seem like the “time loop” trope has been tired out by now. “Groundhog Day,” “Edge of Tomorrow” and “Happy Death Day” have all attempted to combine different genres with the familiar premise, each with varying levels of success. At this point, many dedicated…
Movies, Movies, Movies
“Hubie Halloween,” 2020, directed by Steve Brill – 1/5 Stars Adam Sandler has starred in a lot of bad movies. Alongside producer Jack Giarraputo, Sandler created Happy Madison Productions, which has brought audiences infamous gems like “Pixels,” “Jack and Jill” and “Grown Ups.” This month, “Hubie Halloween” joined the roster of shockingly terrible comedies, featuring…
Movies, Movies, Movies
“Da 5 Bloods”, 2020, directed by Spike Lee – 3/5 Stars The poster for “Da 5 Bloods” features psychedelic, evocative imagery. Bright splashes of orange, pink and blue surround the title characters, and behind them lurks the familiar symbol of the American flag. While the film itself does not feature this flashy color palette or…
Movies, movies, movies!
“I’m Thinking of Ending Things,” 2020, directed by Charlie Kaufman — 4.5/5 Stars Kaufman’s work has never been particularly easy to understand. Those familiar with “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind” or “Synecdoche, New York” will know how Kaufman’s writing can produce an eerie, dreamlike feeling that forces the viewer to ruminate on their own…
Summer drive-in to see Tenet
Despite warnings from health experts and local governments, director Christopher Nolan insisted that his new movie Tenet be released in theatres. In many major cities, theatres legally couldn’t be open to the public, and even drive-in theatres couldn’t show the film unless theatres in the area also had copies to show. A lot of us…
“Jojo Rabbit” and “The Producers”
Writer and Director Taika Waititi won the best adapted screenplay Oscar this year for his movie “Jojo Rabbit,” a satirical comedy about a Nazi youth named Jojo Beztler, played by Roman David Griffiths, who finds a Jewish girl named Elsa, played by Thomasin McKenzie, hiding in the walls of his house. The film mocks the…
“The Two Popes:” check the facts
One afternoon over Christmas break, my sister Lillian sat down in the living room and watched “The Two Popes” on her phone’s Netflix app. I was sitting near her for the greater part of her watch and distinctly remember that she had a bit of a bone to pick with the movie upon finishing it.…
“The Joker” is not worth it
Comic book legend Frank Miller released a book in 2011 called “Holy Terror.” Originally pitched to DC Comics as a Batman story, it follows a masked hero (Batman, duh) and his sexy sidekick (Catwoman) fighting an unnamed Al Qaeda stand in. The book is Islamophobic and ultimately devoid of substance: it is a piece that…
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