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…
Check Out the 2022 Critics Choice Real TV Awards Nominations!
Top Chef leads the 2022 Critics Choice Real TV Awards, with Padma Lakshi getting two nominations. See who else is nominated in your favorite categories. (May 16, 2022) – LOS ANGELES – The Critics Choice Association (CCA) and nonfiction producers’ organization NPACT today unveiled the nominees for the 2022 Critics Choice Real TV Awards, which recognize…
SWAP ME BABY Review — A Surprising Sci-Fi Rom-Com
Lisa Johnson Mandell’s Swap Me Baby review says it’s a goofy fun sci-fi rom com with a lot of heart. Swap Me Baby is a sci-fi rom-com about the unexpected love that grows between Lily (Kimberly Leemans, an America’s Top Model alum), an uptight businesswoman, and Philippe (Falk Hentschel, DC’s Legends of Tomorrow), a whacky…
THE DUKE Review — Fanfare for the Common Man
Lisa Johnson Mandell’s The Duke review says the film, based on a true story, is a nostalgic delight, anchored by engaging performances by Helen Mirren and Jim Broadbent. They had me at Helen Mirren and Jim Broadbent. But beyond that combine two of the greatest and most engaging actors of all time with a fascinating…
DOCTOR STRANGE IN THE MULTIVERSE OF MADNESS Review — Other Worldly
Lisa Johnson Mandell’s Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness review says it’s both darker and lighter than most other Marvel offerings, with special effects that can still thrill and chill. We all knew going in that Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness would not be like any other film in the Marvel Universe. Taking…
THE BAD GUYS Review — Animal Style Fun for Everyone!
Lisa Johnson Mandell’s The Bad Guys review says this lively, animated movie with a message has something for everyone. I’d suggest that parents drop their kids off to see The Bad Guys while they go into the next theater and watch The Northman or The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, but The Bad Guys is so…
THE UNBEARABLE WEIGHT OF MASSIVE TALENT Review — Metalicious!
Lisa Johnson Mandell’s The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent Review says it’s among the best comedies of the decade, full of good natured fun and intentionally cheesy action. Even the title is funny in this offbeat send up of movie star Nicolas Cage, past, present and future. If you weren’t already a fan, you gotta…
THE NORTHMAN Review — A Bloody and Brilliant Creative Epic
Lisa Johnson Mandell’s The Northman review says that something wild, wondrous and wicked this way comes. It’s a powerhouse you will never forget if you’re daring enough to see it. I’d heard good things about The Northman, but they did not prepare me for scope, the style, the sheer creative expanse of this dark, bloody…
FANTASTIC BEASTS: THE SECRETS OF DUMBLEDORE Review — Cuddly Fantasy
Lisa Johnson Mandell’s Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore review embraces the cuddly nature of the beasties, along with the icy villainy of Mad Mikkelssen as Gellert Grindelwald. There’s a warm, fuzzy and familiar feeling about Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore. I think viewers are more than ready for a film that cuddles comfortably…
