This whodunit forgets the Agatha Christie cliches, and the clues are ingenious and hilarious. I attended an advanced screening of “Knives Out” at the Chicago Film Festival, where I met and commended […]
Knives Out
Jojo Rabbit
The latest Nazi parody has its heart in the right place. If we spliced Roberto Begnini’s “Life is Beautiful” with Wes Anderson’s “Moonrise Kingdom” and spiked it with a bit of Monty […]
Parasite
An unemployed family has consequences of fraud in riveting black comedy. Bong Joon-ho is a South Korean filmmaker who’s best known for such foreign thrillers like “The Host,” a monster import from […]
Zombieland: Double Tap
The zombie killers are back, and so are their rules. The rules of “Zombieland” are simple: Cardio (the fat guy dies quick), Double Tap (make sure the zombie stays dead), Beware of […]
Jay & Silent Bob Reboot
Underneath it’s campy attitude are 2 Kevin Smiths, reboot rantings, and a lot of laughs The “Jay & Silent Bob” pop culture phenomenon began when filmmaker Kevin Smith maxed out his parents’ […]
Dolemite is My Name
Eddie Murphy is back in the game. “Dolemite is My Name” is the first movie since “Tower Heist” to allow Eddie Murphy to reconnect with his glory 1980s days when “SNL,” Beverly […]
Marriage Story
Noah Baumbach’s best film of the decade deals with divorce in a sincere way Scarlett Johansson and Adam Driver star as a married couple, who suffer through a coast-to-coast divorce that reminds […]
Abominable
This Yeti is actually pretty cool, but too much comedy steals the show. I was cynical about “Abominable,” the latest feature from Dreamworks Animation, because of how the trailers often portray it […]
Hustlers
These women, led by Wu and Lopez, play the game just right. I want to make an important distinction before proceeding with my “Hustlers” review. When I make my Worst of the […]
Brittany Runs a Marathon
In this cynical, but compassionate comedy, Jillian Bell gets her steps in. I was able to acknowledge Jillian Bell as a household name after her comedy role in “22 Jump Street,” in […]
