THE RENTAL Review – Killer Views
In her The Rental review, film critic Staci Layne Wilson says Dave Franco’s latest is an ably-directed thriller with a thick and moody atmosphere. At the beginning of The Rental, we meet 20-somethings Mina (Sheila Vand, Snowpiercer) and Charlie (Dan Stevens, Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga) just as they are oohing and ahhing online…
The Best Movie Snack Ever — Guilt-Free Chocolate!
Guilt-free chocolate that’s lower in lower in calories, sugar and fat? Who needs popcorn? Now that it’s not so easy to walk up to a concessions stand and order hot buttered popcorn, we have to get creative with the snacks we eat while watching our favorite movies and shows. Color me delighted to find a…
Netflix Top 10 List of Original Movies — Have You Seen Them All?
The world’s super streamer has had incredible success this summer, for obvious reasons. Check out Netflix Top 10 List of Original Movies. Netflix is not big on releasing viewer numbers, but every once in awhile they throw us a bone, as they did last week when it revealed to Bloomberg it’s 10 most watched original…
GREYHOUND Review — America’s Captain Does It Again
Lisa Johnson Mandell’s Greyhound review says this riveting WWII film is just the shot of patriotism we can all use right now. Whether he’s captaining planes, boats or soldiers, Tom Hanks never fails to draw us in, teaching us about humanity, sacrifice and grace under pressure, every step of the way. Hanks does it yet…
EUROVISION SONG CONTEST Review — Something to Sing About
Lisa Johnson Mandell’s Eurovision Song Contest review says Will Ferrell’s cheeky take on a European institution strikes the right chord. First of all, you need to know just how humongous the Eurovision Song Contest is across the pond. I’d say it’s the biggest TV event of the year, maybe the equivalent of the Super Bowl…
ELVIS FROM OUTER SPACE Review – A Whacky Space Oddity
Critic Staci Layne Wilson’s Elvis From Outer Space review says only Presley fanatics and B-movie mavens will have “burning love” for this one. Elvis has left the planet in this corny but heartfelt low-budget space oddity, Elvis From Outer Space. I mean, you’ve got to know you’re not getting 2001: A Space Odyssey with this…
5 Love Lies Movies Tell Us
Hollywood is long on fantasy romances, but short on reality relationships. Don’t get caught up in these 5 Love Lies movies tell us. Waves crash on the shore as your lover embraces you and the end credits roll. That’s love on film. We hate to break this to you, but the movies lie. If you…
ARTEMIS FOWL Review — Not the Franchise Opener We Expected
Lisa Johnson Mandell’s Artemis Fowl review says that Disney suffers a rare miss with this potential fantasy franchise. Well, no one bats 1,000. Color most people grateful that Disney+ was willing to release a film originally intended for the big screen, at a time when public theaters are only able to take baby steps back…
GORDON LIGHTFOOT: IF YOU COULD READ MY MIND Review – An Intimate Documentary About a Canadian Treasure
Critic Staci Layne Wilson’s Gordon Lightfoot: If You Could Read My Mind review says the film will satisfy fans and have a new generation falling in love with this singer-songwriter. Gordon Lightfoot: If You Could Read My Mind starts with a cinematic slap in the face. The gaunt, cigarette-smoking 80-year-old singer-songwriter unabashedly cusses out one of his…
THE PAINTER AND THE THIEF Review – An Interesting Art Doc That Steals Too Much of Your Time
The Painter and the Thief Review — Film Critic Staci Layne Wilson says this award-winning documentary is “a brave and unflinching interpretation of an unusual, true tale.” Five years ago in Oslo, two huge paintings by a relatively unknown artist, Barbora Kysilkova, were stolen from a prominent gallery. They were valued at a mere $20,000…
