The Movie Guy

It’s never too early to be the worst movie of the year, and “Serenity” proves it.

The film takes place on Plymouth Island, a tropical isle where the sugar cane sways and zydeco music plays. Baker Dill (Matthew McConaughy), despite having an awesome porn star name, is an ex-vet fishing boat captain with an Ahab-like obsession for a big tuna roaming the coast who he’s named Justice. So great is Baker’s obsession with the fish that he can’t earn money chartering the boat when Justice is near and blames his bad luck capturing the fish on his right-hand man Duke (Djimon Hounsou), whose wife’s death Baker believes has cursed them into never catching Justice. Continue reading →

Now on Netflix is Alfonso Cuaron’s “Roma,” an early Oscar favorite for directing and Golden Globe nominee for director, screenplay and foreign film. While most may give pause to watching a black-and-white, subtitled domestic drama with scenes in the style of Italian director Federico Fellini, those who see “Roma” may be as absorbed as I was. Continue reading →

If character-driven crime dramas hold your interest, “Widows” rewards you with big dividends.

Set in Chicago, the crime catalyst for “Widows” is a $2 million robbery executed by a four-man team who, in turn, get executed by the SWAT unit called to the scene. The money is never recovered, but that doesn’t mean its power-hungry owner Jamal Manning (Brian Tyree Henry) doesn’t want it back. Manning confronts the lead heist man’s widow Veronica (Viola Davis) for retribution and gives her two weeks to return his two million…or else. Continue reading →

“Bohemian Rhapsody” skims the surface but never sinks its teeth into the rise and fall of ‘70s rock group Queen, leaving a mediocre, melodramatic, by-the-books musical biopic.

Spanning 15 years, from the group’s formation in 1970 to their final 1985 concert performance at Live Aid, “Bohemian’s” initial scenes play out like bullet points of an outline: Freddie Mercury meets guitarist Brian May and drummer Roger Taylor at London club gig to form band; Mercury names band Queen and convinces May and Taylor to record album with all their savings; agent sees band at session and signs them. This whirlwind success feels faster because “Bohemian” rushes through these familiar start-up scenes without getting involved in back stories for Mercury’s band mates- its focus is on Mercury and his personal fall that marked the end of the popular rock group. Continue reading →

David Gordon Green’s “Halloween” is a sequel that succeeds, offering fans of John Carpenter’s original film a few new surprises in a nostalgic revisit while giving those new to the story its hallmark simplistic scares.

Since Carpenter’s 1978 “Halloween,” we’ve been treated to seven sequels and two remakes, but director Green and co-writers Danny McBride and Jeff Fradley (who worked with Green on comedies like “Your Highness” and the HBO series “Vice Principals”) want you to forget the mostly-forgettable film franchise by getting back-to-basics. It’s a smart move, smart enough to get John Carpenter and Jamie Lee Curtis involved making a movie that continues where the original film ended. Continue reading →

In his directorial debut, Bradley Cooper manages not only to make “A Star is Born” the best film version we’ve seen so far while giving his best acting performance to date, it may also be the best movie you’ll see this year. Continue reading →

“White Boy Rick” is a welcome surprise, absorbing you into its micro chasm of crime with meticulous production design recreating Detroit in the 1980s and featuring a breakout acting performance by newcomer Richie Merritt in the title role.

“White Boy” is the true story of Rick Wershe Jr. (Merritt) who, in 1984 at the age of 15, was recruited by the FBI to become an informant and aid them in quelling Detroit’s growing crack cocaine epidemic. As with all good crime dramas, it’s an offer Rick can’t refuse: become an informant or your Dad goes to jail. Continue reading →

Lacking the suspense or dazzling special effects to keep you riveted, “The Meg” is forced to breathe too much life into its cookie-cutter characters when all you want is Statham vs. Shark non-stop action. Continue reading →

If, like me, you never watched “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood” because you found his demeanor creepy, you’ll be all-the-more impressed with Morgan Neville’s “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?”- a documentary that enlightens your understanding of what made Fred Rogers an admirable entity in the formative years of millions of people. Continue reading →

As a creepy, psychological thriller, “Hereditary” will make horror film enthusiasts enthused while putting the jump-scare, ‘slasher’ crowd to sleep. However, what makes “Hereditary” worthwhile is Toni Collette’s performance as Annie Graham, a complex character that challenges and champions Collette’s acting talents. Continue reading →