I saw it in the theater. It works much better when viewed as an action-comedy than as a horror movie. It only uses the slasher movie cliches to set up half of the premise, with “Groundhog Day” accounting for the other half; the energy came from Rothe and the self-aware humor.

When I see a movie with a big lineup of well-established movie stars, I become suspicious. These days, the results are often bad. This is the kind of movie I call a “paycheck stash,” because it looks like everyone involved just needed something to pad their bank accounts. (That’s not an excuse for Caine, though.)

On top of everything else, that group was actually called “den.”

I’m betting on morbid curiosity. Hopefully, this is a temporary spike fueled by the attention for the docu-series. Fingers crossed that it will fade soon.

I like “Twibunal.” How about “Twit Chamber”? You know, like “Star Chamber”? Anyone? No?

Good point.

Yes, it is nice to fantasize that Disney might someday look at one of its good properties and say, “Hey, maybe this will be better if we DON’T make endless sequels/reboots/etc.” Yeah, we can all dream.

“I Was Born, But...” is one of my favorite Ozus, and one of my favorite silents. I would recommend it and “Record of a Tenement Gentleman” to anyone who has never seen an Ozu before and wants to start somewhere. So many people make the mistake of starting with “Tokyo Story” or “Late Spring,” which tend to be…

I saw “Deadpool” on a flight home from Europe. It was what I would call a “good for one viewing” movie—you don’t miss anything, it puts a smile on your face, and it’s mostly engaging. I didn’t get any sleep the night before and a child in the next aisle was screaming for most of the trip, so it was a good distraction.

I really, really want this to be a good movie, but almost every review I’ve read indicates otherwise. I’ll still see it, even though it looks doomed to tank at the box office. I want a steampunk movie to succeed, because I have a soft spot for the sub-genre; Hera Hilmar looks like a promising actress; and it would be…

Enh, I’m less inclined to read Lane. I get tired of reading about how everything today is inferior to the noirs and rom-coms of the 1940s and 1950s. If Cline and Spielberg OD on 1980s nostalgia, then Lane is just as bad about the “golden age of Hollywood.”

Honestly, I’m not always crazy about Brody. He can be very Eurocentric, and sometimes turns up “meanings” in crap movies that aren’t really there. But I think he was right on about RPO.

I’m an avid reader. I’ve spent the past few years tearing through some of literature’s biggest doorstops. It took me more than a month to get through “Ready Player One,” because I just... couldn’t... pick... it... up... AGAIN. I haven’t seen the movie, because it probably would sit in my streaming queue for even…

I thought it was the second-best movie of last year, behind only “Get Out.” And I’m not a big fan of the original “Blade Runner.”

She’s an excellent actress, but I saw Vox Lux at the Houston Cinema Arts Festival, and her performance is just awful. She’s supposed to be a modern pop star, but she’s costumed like one from the 1980s and smacks her gum like a teen-drama villain from the 1950s. The movie presents two Big Issues—mass shootings and…

Yes, but prices have been going up again recently, and the number of airlines to choose from have shrunk to just a few. And the only economic option for anyone less than wealthy is coach, which is a sardine can.

Calling Lasse Hallstrom...

Can You Ever Forgive Me? is one of the best movies of the year, but the Oscar voters likely will see it as an “actor’s piece”— so McCarthy and Grand might get nominated (or even win), but a Best Picture nomination would be only a remote possibility.

Much of what you said is true. But unfettered capitalism can work against its own principles. One of the great benefits of capitalism is how competition encourages innovation. But when massive corporate mergers/takeovers sweep through industries, it drives down consumer choices and discourages new ideas, new…

It was a weak year for movies altogether. Having said that, it’s nice to see some hit movies nominated, like Black Panther, A Star is Born, Crazy Rich Asians and BlacKkKlansman. None are all-time greats (except maybe Black Panther), but in a year like this, the award voters might as well seize the opportunity to honor…