THE SHADE Review — Family Trauma Meets Supernatural Chills
Lisa Johnson Mandell’s The Shade review says it’s a Halloween chiller with heart. The Shade is a dramatic horror film that offers a compelling exploration of family trauma, viewed primarily through the lens of twenty-year-old Ryan Beckman. Director Tyler Chipman, working from his own screenplay co-written with David Purdy, crafts a narrative that blends domestic…
MEGALOPOLIS Review — A Film Icon’s Fever Dream
Lisa Johnson Mandell’s Megalopolis review says Francis Ford Coppola’s legacy epic is everything you’ve heard and more…but not in a good way. I’d heard from film festival goers that Francis Ford Coppola’s lavish epic was, in a word, a “mess,” but when I watched the trailer I thought it looked intriguing, and I was eager…
SUPERMAN – THE CHRISTOPHER REEVE STORY Review — Packs a Punch
Lisa Johnson Mandell’s Superman – The Christopher Reeve Story review says it’s an inspiring and surprising doc about a remarkable man, his family, his friends, and his fight. Bring plenty of tissues. There is so much I’d forgotten, or perhaps never knew, about Christopher Reeve. This moving documentary reminded and inspired me, in the warmest…
TRANSFORMERS ONE Review — Terrifically Transformed Animation
Lisa Johnson Mandell’s Transformers One review reveals the heretofore inconceivable: It’s one of the best animated films of the year! I never thought I’d see myself write this about a Transformers movie, but Transformers One is actually an exceptional film! I used to dread going to these live action/animation mashups, because I found them to…
I’LL BE RIGHT THERE Review — Edie Falco Battles the Middle Age Blues
Lisa Johnson Mandell’s I’ll Be Right There review says Edie Falco and a game cast give this subtle indie about when it’s okay to put yourself first. Ever since The Sopranos and Nurse Jackie, I’d happily be glued to the screen watching Edie Falco in anything — even an eczema medication commercial. So I was…
CHASING CHASING AMY: A Devoted Fan’s Journey Through the Looking Glass
Lisa Johnson Mandell’s Chasing Chasing Amy review says it’s like a long, intriguing chat with some of your favorite movie mavens. As a film buff who’s seen more documentaries than a barrel-full of cats have lives, I approached Chasing Chasing Amy with a mix of curiosity and skepticism. After all, how interesting could a documentary…
BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE Review: A Frisky, Frantic Return
Lisa Johnson Mandell’s Beetlejuice Beetlejuice review says nostalgic viewers will enjoy it, but it may be tough on newbies. The first few minutes of the film set us up for something freakily familiar and fun. We get a drone’s eye view of a quaint, colorful New England town in autumn, accompanied by a Danny Elfman…
IT ENDS WITH US Review — The Right Adaptation at the Right Time
Lisa Johnson Mandell’s It Ends With Us review says the film serves its audience of female fiction readers well, and takes an important look at domestic abuse. This is the film female fiction readers have been waiting for—the adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s smash bestseller, It Ends with Us, starring Blake Lively as Lily Bloom, the…
DEADPOOL AND WOLVERINE Review — Piercingly Meta to the Max
Lisa Johnson Mandell’s Deadpool and Wolverine review says it feels like the entire Marvel Universe devoured itself and vomited all over the screen. Deadpool and Wolverine starts out with one of the best opening credits scenes ever. Basically, Deadpool (a salty Ryan Reynolds) dispatches with a violent band of baddies while sassily dancing to NSYNC’s…
Twisters Review — A Charismatic Thriller Storms the Cineplex
Lisa Johnson Mandell’s Twisters review promises all the things you want in a summertime action film and more. It may just blow you away. Not a sequel but more of a reimagining, Twisters blows the disaster genre into the 2020’s with elan, force and gusto. If you liked the 1996 disaster classic Twister with Bill…
