By John H. Foote (***) In theatres Barbie is a giddy, goofy, go-for-broke movie that delights from the opening through to the end. Yes, I just said that. It is a credit to director Greta Gerwig and her lead actors, Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling, that Barbie is downright terrific. There is a lot to…
By John H. Foote (**) In theatres Why? Especially after the debacle that was Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008), which was directed by Spielberg. So again, why? That is the question on millions of moviegoer’s lips, why do an Indiana Jones film WITHOUT the prime creative force of the previous…
By John H. Foote (***) In theatres Damien Chazelle is a massively talented young director, already an Oscar winner for Best Director for La La Land (2016), and had the Academy been thinking he might have won a second for his space epic First Man (2017), a well reviewed film that never found an audience…
By John H. Foote (**) In theatres An awkward film to review because, despite excellent performances, it is about the marginalized in society, not terribly pleasant fare. But the super performances elevate the work in every way. In a society so obsessed with appearance, it must be a terrible thing to be obese and endure…
By John H. Foote (*****) Now in theatres Couple quick reminders. Given it has been more than a decade since Avatar (2009), here is a very brief refresher. Pandora is a planet of great exotic beauty inhabited by nine-foot tall, blue creatures called the Na’vi who do not appreciate man on their home. Man is…
By John H. Foote (****) Streaming on Apple TV Despite the slap heard around the globe, despite the absolute humiliation he brought to Chris Rock, the Academy, the family of Richard Williams, and himself, Will Smith has always been a fine actor, and it was ridiculous to assume he would never be back in the…
By John H. Foote (***) on Apple Streaming The reasons to see Causeway are the performances which are remarkable. Academy Award winner Jennifer Lawrence, who won her Oscar 10 years ago now (seems like a century), gives the finest screen performance of her career, no mean feat because the lady has been damned fine in…
By John H. Foote (****) In theatres All the President’s Men (1976) might still reign as the preeminent film about investigative reporting ever made, possessed of an urgency in exploring what would lead to the unseating of a President. The film remains an extraordinary study of reporting before the internet, when research happened in libraries…
By John H. Foote (***) On Netflix It has been nearly 100 years since the first feature film version of All Quiet on the Western Front came to cinema and won the Academy Award as Best Picture. A superb early piece of filmmaking, before directors had really mastered sound and score, it remains filled with…
By John H. Foote (*) In theatres Nick Maylor loved the Marvel Universe and predicted a day after seeing Black Panther (2019) that the film would be nominated for Best Picture, and of course, it was. This review is for Nick, and I wish I liked the film more than I did, my son. Reviewing…