THOR: LOVE AND THUNDER Review: Boom! The Gods are Restless
Lisa Johnson Mandell’s Thor: Love and Thunder review says that with non-stop action and quips plus loads of fabulous cameos, fans could be overwhelmed—in a good way. Thor: Love and Thunder, the Norse god’s fourth solo film, is what I like to call a kitchen sink movie— it’s one where they they throw in everything, including the……
GOOD LUCK TO YOU LEO GRANDE Review — DREAMING WALLS: INSIDE THE CHELSEA HOTEL Review
Good Luck to You Leo Grande review — Female midlife crisis exposed. Dreaming Walls: Inside the Chelsea Hotel review — An etherial doc about an old New York classic. Good Luck to You Leo Grande Review Good Luck to You Leo Grande is alternately riveting, amusing and hard to watch. Never before have we seen…
MINIONS: THE RISE OF GRU Review — A Little Something Yellow for Everyone
Lisa Johnson Mandell’s Minions: The Rise of Gru review says that this origin story set in the ’70’s has something for everyone of every age. How can anyone not love the Minions? With the exception of one tightly wound acquaintance who watched the trailer for Minions: The Rise of Gru and dismissed it for being…
ELVIS Review — A Hunka Hunka Burning Love
Lisa Johnson Mandell’s Elvis review says director Baz Luhrmann delivers a kaleidoscopic musical artist biopic that sets the genre on its ear. Could tragic icon of fabulousness Elvis Presley be in any better hands than those of writer/director/producer Baz Luhrmann, another icon of fabulousness in his own right? I think not. The king of lush,…
LIGHTYEAR Review — Surprisingly, a Rare Pixar Misfire
Lisa Johnson Mandell’s Lightyear review says that while it doesn’t quite lift off the way other Pixar films do, it’s slow, harmless fun. You know how you watch Toy Story or its sequels, and there are moments of emotion so moving that tears come to your eyes, and you find yourself both embarrassed and…
PEACE BY CHOCOLATE Review — Sweet Success!
Lisa Johnson Mandell’s Peace by Chocolate review says it’s a heartwarming and thought-provoking treat. Peace by Chocolate is based on the true success story of a confection shop started by Syrian refugees in Canada and whose courage and fortitude touched the entire world. Though presented as a scripted, well-acted feature, there is news footage of…
JURASSIC WORLD: DOMINION Review — Careful…It Bites
Lisa Johnson Mandell’s Jurassic World: Dominion review says if you love snarly dinosaurs but don’t care about plot, character or nuance, this film is for you. I’m surprised, and puzzled by Jurassic World: Dominion. How do you take an iconic franchise, a game cast and almost limitless resources, and come up with such a dull, silly,…
Everything You Need to Know About the Red, White and Royal Blue Movie
We loved the book, and now we can’t wait to see the Red White and Royal Blue movie on Prime Video. Production begins later this month. CULVER CITY, California—June 1, 2022— Taylor Zakhar Perez (The Kissing Booth 2 & 3, Minx) and Nicholas Galitzine (Cinderella, The Craft: Legacy) are set to star in Prime Video’s romantic…
TOP GUN: MAVERICK Review — SO Worth the Wait
Lisa Johnson Mandell’s Top Gun: Maverick review says its a big, brash and brawny movie with the excitement and charisma fans have been longing for. Fans have waited for three years and through three official opening postponements for the sequel to one of the top films of a generation to be released. Now that it’s…
DOWNTON ABBEY: A NEW ERA Review — Enchante!
In her Downton Abbey: A New Era review, Lisa Johnson Mandell revels in the chance to revisit cherished times, people and places. During the pandemic, my husband and I slow-binged the entire Downton Abbey series: one episode per night for 52 nights. It was cinematic comfort food. Of course we knew exactly what would happen—the…
