— by WILLIAM STERR — There is no end to the versatility of actor Hugh Grant. From romantic comedies like “Four Weddings and a Funeral,” to numerous turns as a roguish villain (such as the Paddington Bear films), to this truly diabolic performance as a psychopath, Grant has never fail[...]
Archive for the ‘Reviews’ Category
Review: Black Box Diaries
— by BEV QUESTAD — Her parents told her to keep quiet. Her sister begged her not to mention it. The police warned her that her career would be over if she pursued her complaint. In Japan, when you don’t want someone to know something, when you want to keep something secret, you put it [...]
Review: Flow
— by WILLIAM STERR — Gorgeous! Absolutely gorgeous animation, with a moving story to go with it. I was a bit put off when first watching the film because the animation of the animals is so much simpler than the incredible backgrounds. However, as I got deeper into the movie that became i[...]
Review: Blackwater Lane
— by WILLIAM STERR — Shortcuts are not always the best idea. Just ask Cass Anderson. She was driving home late one raining evening, taking an isolated shortcut called Blackwater Lane. After nearly being run off the road by a truck, she saw a car parked by the side of the road. She stoppe[...]
Review: Wicked
— by BEV QUESTAD — The last I heard, the Wicked Witch of the West (WWW) died after Dorothy, stuck in the Land of Oz, threw water on her and she melted. Dorothy, frustratingly stuck in Oz, ended up clicking her ruby red shoes and magically returning home to Kansas with her faithful dog, T[...]
Review: The Wild Robot
— by BEV QUESTAD — A group of robots end up crash-landing. One survives and, like Robinson Crusoe or the Swiss Family Robinson, must contend with the natural world of an uninhabited (by humans), untamed jungle/forest wilderness. However, since the robot, Roz, does not need to eat and gai[...]
Review: A Complete Unknown
— by BEV QUESTAD — My 47-year-old long-haired musician-adventurist son, James T, asked me to take him to “A Complete Unknown” on Christmas Day. Dylan represents my generation, but James claims him too. Four days prior, his band was rockin’ out with the crowd joining in, “Any day [...]
Review: Emilia Pérez
— by WILLIAM STERR — Mexican drug cartel bosses are known for their savagery, their secrecy and their short lives. One of the worst was Juan “Little Hands” El Monte, brutal leader of the largest drug trafficking gang in the nation. Unknown to even his closest associate, Juan had a sp[...]
Review: The Damned
— by WILLIAM STERR — A vicious winter. An isolated Icelandic fishing outpost, in danger of starvation due to a poor catch. The foundering of a sailing ship whose survivors would put an impossible burden on the already hungry fishermen. And the decision by Eva (Odessa Young – “Shi[...]
Review: Dahomey
— by BEV QUESTAD — The return of the treasures, the murmuring of the spirits and the new thinking of the people receiving the restitution make this documentary, in the top fifteen 2025 Oscar list, an eye-opener. We see an elegant dinner cruise on the electric ripples of the Seine long af[...]
Review: The Seed of the Sacred Fig
— by BEV QUESTAD — Secretly filmed in Iran, a dire intermix of state and religion is the threatening backdrop of the film’s story as well as the true-life, nerve-wracking environment for the film crew. Once a state is regarded as a manifestation of God’s will, laws, rules, and regula[...]
Review: Longlegs
— by WILLIAM STERR — Osgood Perkins was a stage and film actor active in the 1920s and ’30s. Among his films were “Scarface” and “Madame DuBarry.” Before dying in a bathtub at 45, he sired one son, Anthony Perkins. Anthony also became an actor, famous for his performance as[...]
Review: Daughters
— by BEV QUESTAD — This tender film’s catapult to the 2025 Oscar Best Documentary Short List was not unexpected. “Duaghters” is an outstandingly poignant love story that reaches deep into our essential bond with our parents. When the bond is compromised, we instinctively want it re[...]
Review: Will & Harper
— by BEV QUESTAD — Oh boy, prepare yourselves for a ride like no other across America with Harper Steele, former head writer for “Saturday Night Live” (1995-2008), and Will Farrell, world-famous comedian, along with great songs like “America” (sung by First Aid Kit). Will[...]