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If I were Kenneth Branagh, I’d use a pseudonym for the credits of “Artemis Fowl,” his new movie premiering Friday on Disney+. “Artemis Fowl,” directed by Mark Twain! This fantasy flop is sunglasses-and-fake-mustache bad. Of course, not all of Branagh’s projects have been winners. “Murder on the Orient Express” was overrated, “Thor” was serviceable and …
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Spike Lee’s gutsy new Netflix drama, “Da 5 Bloods,” sets you up and knocks you down. After kicking off with archival footage of a suffering world during the Vietnam War, the Oscar winner has four black men in their sixties meet up for a happy present-day reunion at a hotel in Ho Chi Minh City. …
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If Canadian director Bruce McDonald’s dreams are anything like the disgusting underworld we see in his new movie “Dreamland,” get the man a doctor. “On the night of the strangest wedding in cinema history,” begins the film’s official description. Sounds fun, you think, like when Pierce Brosnan sings “I Do, I Do, I Do, I …
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A film about horror author Shirley Jackson turns into “Tales of East Coast Liberal Arts College Professors” in “Shirley,” Elisabeth Moss’ high-on-itself new schlep. The slow drama fictionalizes several months in the life of Shirley Jackson (Moss), the writer who gave us “The Haunting of Hill House,” as a smiley young couple comes to stay …
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The new romantic comedy “The High Note” is kinda like “The Devil Wears Prada,” but here the devil is a supernice lady with whom you want to drink wine. Tracee Ellis Ross plays a famous singer named Grace Davis, who’s not quite a has-been, but far from a who’s-who. Your mom would love her. She’s …
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“The Vast of Night” is barely a minute in when it first pulls a “Gotcha!” “You are entering a realm between clandestine and forgotten,” says a Rod Serling-like narrator through an old black-and-white TV. “You are entering ‘Paradox Theater.’ ” You’re all set for a cute “Twilight Zone” parody, a Talky Tina doll and perhaps a …
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Sadly, there probably won’t be many — or any — concerts or festivals this summer, given the ongoing pandemic. But that doesn’t mean there won’t be music in the air. While some artists postponed releases earlier in the coronavirus lockdown, they are still letting the sounds flow this season. Here are the albums to look …
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Oh my VOD! What started out as a trial experiment, with studios dropping major movies directly onto streaming services to soothe our lockdown boredom and (ideally) make a buck, has turned into an avalanche. For the last two months, the film release schedule has been routinely packed with titles — great and horrible — for …
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One plus one can occasionally equal too much. A prime example is the new Netflix chase-comedy “The Lovebirds,” starring Hollywood darlings Issa Rae and Kumail Nanjiani as a pair on the run from the law — and a killer. Likable though they are, their distinct comedic personalities don’t gel at all. Rae, a fun-loving everywoman, …
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It’s taken 51 years, but someone has finally done in “Scooby-Doo.” Oh, don’t worry, the talking pup’s not dead, but his newest movie, called “Scoob!,” is totally lifeless. I thought the 2002 Freddie Prinze Jr. live-action film would never be topped in its badness, but that one at least understood the classic “Doo” formula: Mystery …
If I were Kenneth Branagh, I’d use a pseudonym for the credits of “Artemis Fowl,” his new movie premiering Friday on Disney+. “Artemis Fowl,” directed by Mark Twain! This fantasy flop is sunglasses-and-fake-mustache bad. Of course, not all of Branagh’s projects have been winners. “Murder on the Orient Express” was overrated, “Thor” was serviceable and …
