GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY 2 Review — Brandy, You're a Fine Film
GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY 2 Review by James Mandell “The root of the groot is the newt who’s too cute. Baby Groot steals the show” So if the Galaxy needs saving, best get Sylvester Stallone to pitch in – go Rocky! Well, not really, but the dude makes an appearance, which reflects the throw-nine-figures-in-a-bowl-and-press-SPIN mentality that…
THE DINNER Review — THE LOVERS Review — Not Movies for Millennials
THE LOVERS Review THE DINNER Review — — A couple of thoughtful films about well seasoned people THE LOVERS Review I’m always thrilled to see films made by and for people over 35. Not that I don’t love all the fabulous Millennials in my life, but I grow weary of movie focusing on their trials and tribulations…
AMERICAN GODS — The Best Thing to Hit the Small Screen Since 'Game of Thrones'
In her AMERICAN GODS review, Lisa Johnson Mandell says the stellar adaptation of the bestselling novel is true must see TV Bold, bloody, bodacious and beautiful, American Gods from Starz is the series of the year, if not the decade. Based on stellar author Neil Gaiman‘s international bestseller of the same name, this is big event television…
UNFORGETTABLE Review – THE PROMISE Review — One You'll Remember, One You Won't
UNFORGETTABLE Review — Memorable? Not so much I’m not gonna lie. There will be no awards waiting for this one — not even a Razzie, because it’s not bad enough for that. Still, you might say it’s so bad it’s good fun. Sixty years ago they would have put Joan Crawford and Bette Davis in the lead rolls,…
THE BOSS BABY Review — Alec Baldwin's Voice Spices Up the Animation
THE BOSS BABY Review by Lisa Johnson Mandell — The birth of yet another classic Alec Baldwin character Okay, before I even start, I just have to get this off my chest: Does anybody else see a likeness between Boss Baby and Presidential Press Secretary Sean Spicer? I know any…
BEAUTY AND THE BEAST Review — It's Your Loss if You Miss It
Beauty and the Beast Review: One of Disney’s greatest best live action fantasies yet, I see no reason for super conservatives to avoid it Readers, please! I know some of you are wondering about the ‘big gay moment’ you’ve heard so much about in Disney’s latest live action version of Beauty and the Beast. Let me…
LIFE Review — Are We Really Better Off Alone?
LIFE Review — by guest critic and sci-fi rocker James Mandell of Cereal Atomic Life belies your basic survival problems in outer space. Its log line pretty well sums things up: We Were Better Off Alone. Clever, but I was better off before I saw it. Once again, we’re given a sci-fi fantasy slate of suppositions we…
GET OUT Review — LOGAN Review — One is Brilliant, One is Brutal
Get Out Review — A brilliant cinematic surprise Horror never has been my favorite genre, but I’ve gone absolutely gaga over Jordan Peele‘s cunning, creepy and clever Get Out. It’s frightening in so many delicious ways and on so many different levels. The concept is this: White girl (Allison Williams) takes black boyfriend (Daniel Kaluuya) home to meet the parents. She…
THE GREAT WALL Review — A CURE FOR WELLNESS Review — A Good Wall and a Placebo
The Great Wall Review This is an important film in that it’s China’s most expensive production, it was helmed by Yimou Zhang China’s biggest director, and it was made with an international cast with a universal audience in mind. It stars Matt Damon, who is being billed as a “global superstar,” apparently one of the most popular…
A United Kingdom Review, Fifty Shades Darker Review — One is the Best Film of the Year So Far
A United Kingdom Review — The year is young, but this is by far the best so far A United Kingdom is a little bit like Hidden Figures in that you come away wondering “How could I have not heard this story before? I can’t believe it’s not being told until now!” It’s based on…
