Hotels and motels are shady at best these days, but none of them compare to the criminals and characters that check in and out of Hotel Artemis.
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Toni Collette is Brilliant in Heart-Stopping Horror Hereditary
After watching Stephen King’s Carrie, I vowed to never again watch a horror flick. Numerous nights on end are spent with highlights and one eye struggling to stay open at best. At the urging of a fellow critic, I took a chance and screened Hereditary. Why? Two of my favs Gabriel Byrne and Toni Collette were in it AND produced it, so I figured it wouldn’t be too bad. WRONG! That nightlight has been on full-time duty for the last 24-hours. With his feature debut Ari Aster and a cast let by Collette and Byrne, let audiences experience a fly on the wall view as the family matriarch becomes unhinged…
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Shailene Woodley is Sailing Smoothly as Leading Lady in Adrift
Back in the day, I entertained our troops overseas in USO/DOD tours atop aircraft carriers in the middle of the Indian Ocean. I often look back with wonder if for some ridiculous reason, we were stuck in this mass body of water with no one having a clue as to our whereabouts. Thankfully, I never had to find out, but Tami Oldham did. Adrift is the true-life story of a 23-year old Oldham and her impending journey from Tahiti to San Diego that took the love of her life Richard Sharp (Sam Claflin)and found her stuck out at sea for more than 40 days. More than that, it’s the…
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American Animals is a Slick, Captivating Heist Gone Awry
Everybody has that friend that can talk us into anything. You know the ones who literally can make us do that ONE thing we are fearful of or have no desire whatsoever to be involved in their latest scheme. Remember how many times Lucy talked Ethel into some craziness? Exactly. Based on a true life story of Warren Lipka (Evan Peters) & Spencer Reinhard (Barry Keoghan) from Lexington, KY., they convincingly enlist two more friends – accounting major who wants to join the FBI named Eric (Jared Abrahamson) and fitness freak with major coinage named Chas (Blake Jenner) as they plot a heist of some of the worlds most valuable…
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What Don’t You Know About Solo: A Star Wars Story?
Ron Howard is one of my favorite directors – EVER!!! So it suffices to say that I was beyond thrilled to hear what he had to say about directing a chapter in the Star Wars saga… RON HOWARD: Well, it’s its own, it’s the galaxy far, far away and, ah, you know, and you… the level of anticipation is really unlike anything I’ve done. I began to recognize, you know, as something similar to the Beatles documentary that I took on… I’m at a point in my life where I like experimenting, I like to take some chances. I’m not too worried about the outcome. I wanted to have…
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Love Doesn’t Conquer all On Chesil Beach
I’m a sucker for a romantic period piece, so I when Bleecker Street and BBC Fils released On Chesil Beach…let’s just say I was more than eager to check it out. On Chesil Bach is a story about two young people from different classes who fall in love and the complexity it brings as the relationship deepens. Even though the pacing at the start felt a bit sluggish, the creative cinematically beautiful wide shots and use of flashback to convey the story of these awkward love birds was quite effectively utilized. There were so many issues dealing with repressed sexuality, mental illness, heartbreak, battle of the classes and unrequited love.…
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Mary Shelley Shatters Gender Bias with Frankenstein
Horror movies are not my thing. At least not the ones produced today. Too much gore, blood and guts for my taste. However, I’m a fan of old school horror with the likes of Lon Chaney, Boris Karloff and the classic horror/thrillers. Have you ever wondered what kind of mind conjures up such tales the makes you shutter and quake under their sheets at night? Mary Shelley is best known for being the author of “Frankenstein.” What we didn’t know is that Shelley endured gender bias, betrayal from her own husband and best friend to emerge as one of the most imaginative authors of her time. We also discover that…
- Coming Attractions, Documentary Film Review, entertainment, Film Festivals, Film Reviews, Tribeca Film Festival
The Gospel According to Andre Gives Fly on Wall Insight to a Fashion Icon
When I worked as a publicist, one of my assignments was to phone then Fashion Editor of VOGUE – Andre Leon Talley and pitch our client for a feature in the prominent fashion periodical. To my surprise, Andre answered and I could tell right away from his tone that he had no time for foolishness. I was so intimated by his booming voice that I couldn’t quite communicate my pitch properly and to his credit – allowed me to phone back at a later date when I had a little more composure. I did and my clients were eventually featured in a VOGUE fashion spread. I got just a…
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Alden Ehrenreich Embodies Harrison Ford in Solo: A Star Wars Story
Many times I’ve wondered what Han Solo story was since the original Star Wars. Where did he come from? Was he in love before Leia? How is he able to speak fluent Wookie with Chewie? How did he become one with the MIllineum Falcon? All these questions are answered and more in the latest Star Wars saga Solo: A Star Wars Story. Very reminiscent of a young, strapping Harrison Ford, Alden Ehrenreich (Han Solo) embodies the energy, essence and charisma we have come to know and love about Han Solo. One of my favorite moments is when a character utters ” I hate you” and Solo’s response is “I…
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Uncharacteristically Honest is Vatican’s Pope Francis: A Man of His Word
Growing up in the Catholic Church, The Pope always felt like this bigger than life figure-head who had a main line to the big guy – GOD. I often wondered if he could get married, fall in love or if his life was totally devout to the almighty and spreading the gospel globally. I also wondered how his name was selected and what drives them to assist church followers in “living biblically.” Pope Francis: A Man of His Word sheds the light on our current Pope. The first from Argentina. The first to be openly critical of church policy regarding homosexuality, ecology and other government heads of state. The first…
