By Marie- Renee Goulet (*) Why? The sudden loss of Anthony Bourdain by suicide in June 2018 left us all gutted and shocked. Bourdain was a tall, charismatic, and incredibly candid former chef with our dream career. But depression can be debilitating. He was a brilliant writer who did not leave a note. He was…
By John H. Foote (****) In theatres I am astounded by how few films are made from the 13th century tales of Arthur and his knights of the round table and that legendary place called Camelot. There are a few—the musical Camelot (1967) of course, John Boorman’s bloody and brilliant Excalibur (1980) and more recently,…
By John H. Foote (***) In theatres Matt Damon began his career wanting to be more than just a major movie star; he wanted to be an acclaimed actor. His breakthrough came with a trio of films beginning with the war drama Courage Under Fire (1996) for director Edward Zwick, followed by the critically acclaimed…
By John H. Foote (**) In theatres More than 20 years have passed since we were stopped in our tracks with the trailer of Haley Joel Osment whispering with hushed urgency and terror, “I see dead people.” M. Night Shyamalan exploded into the forefront of American film with his extraordinary ghost story The Sixth Sense…
By John H. Foote (****) Limited release in theatres Of the greatest actors to emerge since the 70s – Sean Penn, Denzel Washington, Eric Roberts, Tom Cruise, Matt Dillon – the most consistently daring and risk-taking is Nicolas Cage. Over his many years on the screen, he has continued to take risks no other actor…
By Alan Hurst When I see a trailer or read about a movie featuring a number of female stars from my formative years as a movie goer, I get a little excited and I’m not entirely sure why. Maybe it’s the idea that these ladies are still working well into their seventies and eighties, or…
By John H. Foote (***) Streaming on Amazon I like Chris Pratt. He gives off a Harrison Ford vibe, macho smart ass, though a lot more fun than Ford. Since his days on Everwood I have tracked his career because he had that bite-you-on-the-nose talent, that kind of “thing” the biggest stars have. I am…
By John H. Foote (**) Streaming on Apple TV Meyer Lansky has been portrayed on film twice: Ben Kingsley did it in Bugsy (1991), beautifully capturing the man’s intellect and quiet intimidation; Richard Dreyfuss did the same in HBO’s Lansky (1992). Though not in name, Lansky inspired the role of Hyman Roth in The Godfather Part II (1974), played superbly by…
By John H. Foote (***) In Theatres and Streaming The attacks are coming hard at Lin-Manuel Miranda for his casting choices in this new film, and any Oscar chances are now highly unlikely. Once again, the new madness of political correctness in Hollywood threatens to impact good movies or at the very least make casting…
By John H. Foote (***) In limited theatres/ Streaming on Disney What is the “it” that some actors possess? That “sprinkled with stardust quality” that makes a movie star out of a normal human being, but also a genuine, transformative actor. Whatever the “it” is, Emma Stone has it. One legendary film critic called it…