The visual world is fascinating, but the story lays an egg. I’m a slow learner when it comes to some of today’s modern amenities. You know smart homes, smart watches, and smart […]
The Pod Generation
Shortcomings
This breezy comedy has good taste in characters. Randall Park’s directorial debut of “Shortcomings” uses echos from “Clerks” and “Crazy Rich Asians,” because it features a main protagonist who blames his sad […]
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem
Now these turtles are teenagers! This is coming from a film critic, who never grew up on “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles,” but still knows they’re all named after famous painters. There’s Michelangelo, […]
Haunted Mansion
Humor and heart get conjured up in this fun ride-to-film transition. 20 years ago, we had the Eddie Murphy film version of the popular Disneyland ride “The Haunted Mansion,” which didn’t work […]
The Beanie Bubble
Colorful performances overshadow under-stuffed script. Beanie Babies have become one of the most demanded toys in the world. Enough for a truck carrying them to crash, and people grabbing them at the […]
Barbie
A plastic movie with a real heart and colorful laughs. The routine of playing with Barbie dolls is simple. She wakes up all happy, takes showers with no running water, eats her […]
Theater Camp
The actors hit the right notes with laughs and empathy. There’s a lot of exuberance and laughs in “Theater Camp,” the directorial debuts of Molly Gordon and Nick Lieberman. They along with […]
Two Tickets to Greece
A trip gone wrong makes some right detours. This September, we’re getting the threequel “My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3,” which takes the family on vacation to their homeland of Greece.” This […]
They Cloned Tyrone
Bring on the conspiracy and attitude! John Boyega, Teyonah Parris, and Jamie Foxx all make a dream team in the Netflix satire “They Cloned Tyrone.” In the post “Get Out” era, the […]
The Miracle Club
Laura Linney and Maggie Smith have better luck than the humor or the screenplay can provide. In a time when comedies are making fun of old women trying to be hip, there […]
