I’ll make this quick, because I’m not a bully, I’m a straight up movie nerd. It’s bad, dude. It’s really, really bad.
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‘Glorious’ Horror Review | “Stalls” Out in a Bathroom
Lovecraft fans might really dig it, but it felt like a long wait for just a cool, but underwhelming twist in the final act
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‘She-Hulk: Attorney at Law’ |Naysayers Making Me Turn Green
I’m just asking the Marvel fans to judge this as a slightly bawdy half-hour sitcom, not as a 100million dollar film.
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‘Gasoline Alley’ Review | Neo-Noir gets 2 out of 4 Stars
yet another flick in which Bruce Willis spent more time at the photo shoot for the movie poster than for his actual part in the film.
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‘Blues on Beale’ Review | This Film Makes Your Ears Happy
In ‘Blues on Beale,’ you’ll see and hear enough to lift you ten feet off the ground, if you’re a fan – and just enough to draw you in if you’re not.
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‘The Long Night’ Horror Review | Don’t Cross These Cultists
It’s not just a home invasion flick, it turns out there’s a point. The reveal will let us know why the character is fulfilling an ancient prophecy.
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‘Confession’ Review: Twisty Thriller Starts Off Super Strong
Twisty thriller has a killer first act and many unforeseen reveals, but gets too talky and slows down its pace before all is done.
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‘The Last Thing Mary Saw’ Horror Review | 3 out of 4 Stars
I like when movies start in the present and then flash back to reveal how we got here. It tends to amp up one’s curiosity.
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‘Riverdance: The Animated Adventure’ Review | Step Away From It
The color palette is attractive and the music is the official stuff, but the trip is too trippy, the dance sequences too frequent.
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‘Cyrano’ Review | This Adaptation ‘Nose” What It’s Doing
A new take on an oft adapted story. Peter Dinklage and Haley Bennett will break your heart.
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‘Don’t Look Up’ Review | It’s Not the End of the World
Yeah, there are some laughs, I recommend viewing the trailer below to get a feel for the brand of humor. The performances are played straight, as they should be.
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‘Jagged’ Review | Alanis Morissette Looks Back in Revealing Doc
Now a Mom in her late 40s with a cogent perspective on a 21 year old conquering the world and lighting the fuse to an explosive cultural phenomenon
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‘The Next Thing You Eat’ | Fun, Funny and Informative Series Satisfies
The new series looks at food in super interesting ways and takes it from angles I have never seen before on a show
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‘Dead & Beautiful’ | Sexy, Stylish Take on the Vamp Genre
A group of rich twenty-somethings who go to elaborate lengths to amuse themselves, may have bitten off more than they can chew.
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Review:’Val’ Captures The Rise, Fall & Resurrection of Kilmer
Val is a weird dude. But Val shows us that there’s an important place for weird in his world. Go big or go home.
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Movie Review: ‘American Night’ Makes for a Long Evening
We learn it will be told in three parts, but by the end of the second part, and realizing there’s still a half hour to go, one gives up on it getting better
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Review: ‘Falling for Figaro’ Harmlessly Hums a Familiar Tune
While I cannot recommend it as a good film, I can say that it will be a good enough film for the right viewer at the right time. Yes, Mom, I am talking to you.
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Review: “Old Henry” Reveals Its Secrets in a Satisfying Way
For a quiet art house Western, the tension ratchets up heading into the final act, and it sticks the lyrical landing.
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Review: ‘Misha and the Wolves’| Riveting Doc Gets to the Truth of the Story
Some stories too good to be true. But, oh, how we want to believe what we want to believe. We are living in a time where that has never been more apparent.
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Horror Review: ‘Animosity’ | Why Can’t We Be Friends?
We have some decent kindling for a film that never quite catches fire.
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Review: ‘Pig’ | Return to Nuanced Acting by Nicolas Cage in A Wonderful Film
Have the days of the overwrought, frenzied, bark at the moon performances by Nicolas Cage come to an end?
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Review: ‘Lydia Lunch: The War is Never Over’ Plumbs Pioneer’s Past
Get ready to have your face melted off by her brutal honesty and larger-than-life persona.
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Disney’s ‘Luca’ | Change Your Pixar Expectations and You’ll Delight In It
And I say: “So what?” PIxar is under no obligation to follow a formula, other than to tell a good story with heart, if no panache. ‘Luca’ has heart
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Film Review: ‘Enfant Terrible’ Gives Art House Fans the Story of a Genius
There is no question that cinephiles and those more familiar with Fassbinder’s work than I, will find a lot to attract them.
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Review: Knots: A Forced Marriage Story Shocks and Surprises
I had no idea that 46 states in America still allow some form of child marriage and that forced marriages are as common as they are.
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‘The Sons of Sam’ Docuseries Makes Case For Multiple Killers
I am so hooked on True Crime docs that it’s basically the main thing I use my streaming services for. The genre has just gotten so damn good.
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Review: ‘Our Towns’ Shows A Divided Country at Its Best
You could argue that their cinematography is so breathtaking, so complete, that you could have made this doc without narration or a host.
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Super Controversial Anti-Vietnam War Doc Re-Released
Jane Fonda presents as a benign 83 year old lady, beloved in certain circles and recently feted at the Golden Globes. But 50 years ago
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Oscar Nominee Review: Mank |3 ½ out of 4 Stars
Review: Mank | 3 ½ out of 4 Stars | By Kyle Osborne What I liked about “Mank” is its rhythm, – the cadence of the dialogue and the almost musical beats in the editing. Gary Oldman delivers his lines like he’s calmly snapping your neck with a rubber band.…
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Oscar Nominee Review: News of the World | 2 Stars
Review: News of the World | 2 out of 4 Stars | PG-13 By Kyle Osborne It’s being billed as Tom Hanks’ first Western, but “News of the World” is simply a road movie. Like Midnight Run or Rain Man or Planes, Trains, and Automobiles…except not so great. The slow-pokey…
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Review: Wonder Woman 1984 | 2 ½ out of 4 Stars
Review: Wonder Woman 1984 | 2 ½ out of 4 Stars | PG-13 By Kyle Osborne Wonder Woman 1984 (stylized as WW84) would have been a four star movie if it’d been about an hour shorter. Alas, the considerable goodwill begins to wane heading toward the conclusion at 2 ½…
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Review: “Making Waves: The Art of Cinematic Sound”| 3 ½ out of 4 Stars |
By Kyle Osborne Every year at the Oscars comes the few minutes where we fidget, or go to the bathroom or check to see if we’re winning the office Oscar pool. I speak of the hurried acceptance speeches of the winners for Best Sound Editing and Best Sound Mixing. Usually…
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The Nightingale | 3 out of 4 Stars | Rated R
The Nightingale | | Rated R By Kyle Osborne By turns horrific, haunting, and visually rich, “The Nightingale” is an original spin on a revenge tale. Director Jennifer Kent (“The Babadook”) takes us to a time and place we’ve likely not seen in a movie: Tasmania, circa 1825, but material is…
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Review: Midsommar | 3 ½ out of 4 Stars | Rated R
Midsommar | 3 ½ out 4 Stars | Rated R By Kyle Osborne Once or twice a year, when a movie ends and the credits roll, you find yourself saying, “Holy crap! What the hell was that?” It’s when a director swings for the fences and makes something that isn’t…
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Review: Halston | 2 ½ out of 4 Stars|
Halston | 2 ½ out of 4 Stars| Not Rated By Kyle Osborne I learned that he had a first name- it was Roy. And I learned that he was the biggest American designer of his day in the 70s, before falling prey to the two things that cut down…
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Review: Echo in the Canyon | 3 out of 4 Stars
Echo in the Canyon | 3 out of 4 Stars| PG-13 (for drug references and some suggestive content) By Kyle Osborne We are living in a Golden Age of music documentaries. Maybe it’s just a function of so many streaming services needing content to fill out their programming? Maybe filmmakers…
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Review: Finding Steve McQueen| 2 out of 4 Stars | Rated PG
Finding Steve McQueen| 2 out of 4 Stars | Rated R By Kyle Osborne It’s based on a fascinating true story that would make a terrific documentary for NetFlix. Alas, the story told as a semi-comedic, semi-fictionalized, Indie flick is uneven and not quite lively enough for the big screen–it,…
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Review: Mary Poppins Returns | 3 out of 4 Stars
Mary Poppins Returns| 3 out of 4 Stars | Rated PG By Kyle Osborne This is a challenge for someone my age–someone who remembers the original in its earliest days, if not its actual premiere (that part is fuzzy), because it’s impossible for a “sequel” to match that initial experience.…
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Review: Mid90s | 2 ½ out of 4 Stars
Mid90s | 2 ½ out of 4 Stars |Rated R By Kyle Osborne It’s hard not to feel affection for actor Jonah Hill’s directorial debut, even though Mid90s is scruffy, rough around the edges, and feels more like a draft than a finished film. It’s not for everybody, but if…
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Review: First Man | 2 ½ out of 4 Stars
First Man | 2 ½ out of 4 Stars | Rated PG-13 By Kyle Osborne Neil Armstrong was the rock star of his day, only with way better demographics and none of the glamour. An uncontroversial All-American with a brilliant mind and an aw-shucks demeanor, Armstrong was apple pie personified.…
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Review: A Star Is Born | 3 ½ out of 4 Stars
A Star Is Born | 3 ½ out of 4 Stars | Rated R By Kyle Osborne I’m several days late in posting a review of A Star IS Born, which currently has a favorable score of 91% on RottenTomatoes.com, and certainly doesn’t need any help from me. However, I…
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Review: ‘Venom’ 2 out of 4 Stars
Venom | 2 out of 4 Stars | Rated PG-13 By Kyle Osborne For my money, Tom Hardy is as interesting an actor as anyone currently in the business. He works economically, his performances are well-calibrated with charisma that burns through the lens- even when he’s not saying a word.…
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Review: ‘Macbeth’ at Folger Theatre. There Will Be Blood
Macbeth by William Shakespeare |3 out of 4 Stars|Folger Theatre By Kyle Osborne This article isn’t for people who know their Shakespeare cold. For knowledgeable theatre goers, read this take on the play and music. No, this is for those who only kinda recognize the quotes below, and will be…
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Review: Ocean’s 8 | 3 out of 4 Stars
Ocean’s 8 | 3 out of 4 Stars By Kyle Osborne It’s hard to get mad at a film with such low ambitions—Ocean’s 8 only wants to be a light and fluffy summer flick, and on that score it succeeds. It’s fun and breezy and pass the popcorn. Sandra Bullock plays…
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Review: ‘Upgrade’ 3 ½ out of 4 Stars
Upgrade | 3 ½ out of 4 Stars By Kyle Osborne Director and Screenwriter Leigh Whannell, the guy (along with producing partner James Wan) whose “Saw” and “Insidious” movies have made him very rich and famous, has crafted a taut revenge thriller that is unlike those in his Horror catalog.…
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Review: Breaking In with Gabrielle Union: 2 ½ out of 4 stars
Breaking In |Gabrielle Union| 2 ½ out of 4 stars By Kyle Osborne It isn’t high art, but the unpretentious thriller Breaking In is a good version of what it is: a popcorn thriller that features a relatable heroine going against some bad guys who have unwisely messed with the…
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Review: Life of the Party with Melissa McCarthy: Zero Stars
Life of the Party | Melissa McCarthy | Zero Stars By Kyle Osborne Has anyone simultaneously generated more goodwill, yet more box office stink bombs than Melissa McCarthy? She is a gifted comedic actor and, by all accounts, a lovely person. Why does she rarely find material that takes advantage…
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Movie Review: A Quiet Place 3 out of 4 Stars
A Quiet Place 3 out of 4 stars By Kyle Osborne A Quiet Place, directed by the actor John Krasinski, who also co-stars with real-life wife Emily Blunt, may just be the most economical movie I’ve ever seen. It doesn’t tell you anything more than what you absolutely need…
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Review: The Way of the World at Folger Theatre
By Kyle Osborne The Folger Theatre has a way of amplifying the mood and tone of each play presented there. There’s something in the air inside that house that is nearly indescribable, but in the case of writer and director Theresa Rebeck’s The Way of the World, it translates into…
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Good, Not Great: Three New Movies That Just Missed The Mark
By Kyle Osborne No, I’m not intentionally trolling and, no, I don’t think my opinion is better than yours. But this past month I’ve seen three movies that, while pretty solid, fell short of my hopes. And what were my hopes based on? They were based on the high praise…
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Review: The Shape of Water 4 out of 4 Stars
The Shape of Water 4 out of 4 stars Rated R (for sexual content, graphic nudity, violence and language) By Kyle Osborne If you’ve seen Beauty and The Beast or, really, any number of fairy tales, then there are but few surprises in director Guillermo del Toro’s beautiful The Shape…
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Review: The Disaster Artist
The Disaster Artist 3 out of 4 stars rated R (for language throughout and some sexuality/nudity) By Kyle Osborne I was trying to describe the movies The Room and The Disaster Artist to a friend who lives more than 10,000 miles away and speaks English as a second language. It…
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Review: Thor: Ragnarok – The Superhero Movie for People Not All That Into Superhero Movies
By Kyle Osborne I always go into these Marvel movies with high hopes, even though the whole Superhero/Comic Book genre is not my favorite. Not even close. What’s great about Thor: Ragnarok is that it’s the Superhero movie for people who aren’t that into Superhero movies. I really liked it.…
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Review: ‘The Big Sick’ : Bad Title, Great Movie
By Kyle Osborne Imagine a romantic comedy that is both romantic and, well, funny! From a genre that has disappointed so many of us starry-eyed hopefuls comes ‘The Big Sick’, a delightful, heartwarming comedy that has an incredible sense of tone and reality. Yes, it is a terrible title, but…
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Movie Review: ‘Baby Driver’ One of the Year’s Best
By Kyle Osborne It’s no wonder that the fanboys were immediately gaga over “Baby Driver,” it’s a movie that is gleefully about movie making. Its flamboyant tracking shots and long takes without a cut are as attention-seeking as a bright red hot rod. The editing is frenetic and the soundtrack…
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Theatre Review: ‘Titanic’ at Signature Theatre
By Kyle Osborne After a decidedly rough 2016, you wanted some good news for the new year? Here it is: Titanic, the Tony Award-winning musical currently playing at Signature Theatre, is as glorious as you’ve heard. You think you know the ending? As the annoying Trivago commercial spokesman might say:…
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Theatre Review: ‘Cock’ at Studio Theatre- Now Extended Through June 29th
NOTE: ‘Cock” has received a one week extension at Studio Theatre, where it will now close on June 29th. GO SEE IT! By Kyle Osborne “….you don’t have to like the characters in order to enjoy a play, of course. And in Cock that is great news. One more minute…
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Theatre Review: ‘The Velocity Of Autumn’ at Arena Stage
By Kyle Osborne If The Velocity Of Autumn ends up on Broadway (and that is the hope) there is one major tweak that will need to happen before it gets there—more pauses between the uproarious laughter. That’s a great ‘problem’ to have, right? Laughter so loud and sustained that the…
Read MoreFive Questions With Octavia Spencer and Director Tate Taylor From “The Help”
“The Help” is a rather nice movie about an ugly subject. Based on the bestselling book by Kathryn Stockett, and directed by her personal friend, Tate Taylor, it tells the story of African American “domestics” who, with the encouragement of a young white woman, recount their personal stories of…
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