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…
BEVERLY HILLS COP AXEL F Review, SPACE CADET Review — 2 Striking Streamers
Lisa Johnson Mandell’s Beverly Hills Cop Axel F review and Space Cadet review reveal which of the two streaming movies is most worth watching. Beverly Hills Cop Axel F Review — Netflix It’s hard to believe it’s been 40 years since we first saw Eddie Murphy as the Beverly Hills Cop, and 30 years since…
DESPICABLE ME 4 Review — With Minions, What Could Go Wrong?
Lisa Johnson Mandell’s Despicable Me 4 review says the minions make the movie, no matter what else does (or doesn’t) happen. Four-word review: Minions make me happy. No matter what else happens in this frothy franchise, the minions make it all worthwhile. Cartoon characters that without fail, make very serious full grown adults giggle and…
DADDIO Review / FANCY DANCE Review — 2 Interesting Indies
Two reviews in one! Lisa Johnson Mandell’s Daddio review says the taxi cab-based film is a strange trip, while her Fancy Dance review says the Apple TV+ movie steps up. Fancy Dance Review Fancy Dance is a haunting indie that only Native American writer/director/producer Erica Tremblay could tell, and only Native American actress Lily Gladstone,…
A QUIET PLACE DAY ONE Review — It Sneaks Up On You
Lisa Johnson Mandell’s A Quiet Place Day One review says this franchise prequel leaves even the most cantankerous filmgoers speechless and breathless. A Quiet Place Day One starts out quietly, unexpectedly and brilliantly in a hospice, where the protagonist Sam (played by the outrageously talented, Yale educated, Lupita Nyong’o) is suffering from what appears to…
INSIDE OUT 2 Review — Fun and Fabulous Mind Games
Lisa Johnson Mandell’s Inside Out 2 review notes that there’s much cerebral fun here for children and adults alike. Way better than therapy! I wasn’t a huge fan of Inside Out when it was released in 2015. But it seems just about everyone else was. Inside Out was the seventh-highest-grossing film of the year, and…
CORA BORA Review — Gen Z Will Love It, But Boomers Beware
Lisa Johnson Mandell’s Cora Bora review says Cora would be great as a recurring SNL sketch character. But an hour and a half of her unfunny, obnoxious, delusional antics create a film only Gen Z could love. Have at it. If there was ever a time you wanted to roll your eyes and hurl…
