By Scott Cole THE BLACK PHONE - * * 1/2 (2 1/2 stars out of 5) Director: Scott Derrickson Starring: Ethan Hawke, Mason Thames, Madeleine McGraw, Jeremy Davies, James Ransome A big pet peeve of mine in movies is the character of the small child who talks and acts just like the adults who have... Continue Reading →
‘Top Gun: Maverick’ is a Masterclass in Thrill-Seeking Action and Nostalgia
More than three decades after Tom Cruise took us through the danger zone, he returns to play cocky naval pilot Pete ‘Maverick’ Mitchell with a thrill-seeking sequel that surpasses its 1986 predecessor in all the best ways. Top Gun is the ultimate feel-good bros being bros movie; there’s dogfighting, karaoke, an infamously homoerotic volleyball montage,... Continue Reading →
‘Ambulance’ Review – The Ultimate Action Movie Of 2022
Ambulance: Directed by Michael Bay SYNOPSIS: Decorated veteran Will Sharp, desperate for money to cover his wife’s medical bills, asks for help from his adoptive brother Danny. A charismatic career criminal, Danny instead offers him a score: the biggest bank heist in Los Angeles history: $32 million. This is an odd film for me. I... Continue Reading →
‘Windfall’ Review
A tasteful California vacation home. Simple, linear structures and a muted color palette. Fields of vibrant orange trees. A picturesque pool. These opening images do an effective job in luring the audience in with a soft, warm breeze type of energy. Windfall introduces Jason Segel’s character, Nobody, with him sitting in a modern patio, serenely... Continue Reading →
‘Licorice Pizza’ Review
What a title! Paul Thomas Anderson takes shades of almost every single one of his prior films and combines them to create his best yet: “Licorice Pizza.” It’s very loose on plot development and is a simplistic, feel-good hangout movie. The characters are incredibly relatable towards the age range they’re in. In contrast to the... Continue Reading →