Author: Al Alexander

I began as a film critic for The Patriot Ledger in suburban Boston in 1988, and became the senior film critic there in 2001. My reviews also appeared in newspapers associated with the nationwide Gannett chain. I' was recently granted membership to the prestigious Southeastern Film Critics Association and I've been a member of the North Carolina Film Critics Association since 2014. I have twice been honored by The New England Associated Press News Executives Association for outstanding feature writing. I transplanted from Boston to Raleigh in 2013 but remained on staff at the Ledger until 2023. I'm now starting out on my own in hopes of drawing attention to autism and putting it in a positive light. I was diagnosed as being on the autism spectrum in 2020, and it has given me a whole new perspective on life, as well in how I analyze movies.

Night Nurse (2026)

‘Night Nurse’ is direly lacking life support       The supposed erotic thriller, “Night Nurse,” is not so much a movie as it is an OnlyFans fantasy involving a twenty-something nurse attempting to boff her septuagenarian patient while the pair conduct a phone scam designed to bilk seniors out of their life savings. Such a turn-on! […]

Gail Daughtry and the Celebrity Sex Pass (2026)

If ever a wiz there was, it is ‘Sex Pass’     Imagine a motion picture in which mad men Jon Hamm and John Slattery find themselves reunited in a land of Oz, where a plucky young lady from Kansas is assisted by three neurotic losers in her quest to get under the covers with the […]

Reading Lolita in Tehran (2024)

‘Reading Lolita in Tehran’ takes Sharia rule to task      The film adaptation of Azar Nafizi’s memoir, “Reading Lolita in Tehran,” unfolds in fits and starts, not unlike Trump’s off-and-on war with Iran. One minute it’s a hot mess and the next, a puttering exchange of empty words and unfulfilled promises.      Its salvation is […]

Gangland (2025)

One cop tries to make a difference in ‘Gangland’     It’s a sure sign of trouble when a movie can’t get its name straight. Exhibit A: “Keep Quiet,” the Lou Diamond Phillips police drama rechristened “Gangland” after its debut on the festival circuit last September. But to my surprise, it’s not bad. Although I fear […]

Young Washington (2026)

By George, I think this bio-pic has got it      Before Martha, the wooden teeth and all that “father of our country” business, there was “Young Washington.”  We’re talking George Washington from ages 11 to 23, roughly the time between assaulting a cherry tree (never happened, BTW) and his Spider-Man-like heroism in a losing effort […]

Finnegan’s Foursome (2026)

Pleasant ‘Foursome’ is far from an ace     Don’t say I didn’t warn you about this quartet of golfers kvetching as they putter along a fair way in “Finnegan’s Foursome.” A fore for four, if you will. Some, I’m sure, particularly aficionados of the Ed Burns oeuvre, will find charm and a hint of profundity. […]

Couture (2025)

Jolie keeps ‘Couture’ from coming apart at seams      Three women, each separated by a decade and all frighteningly alone. That’s the setup for Alice Winocour’s rambling “Couture,” a well-meaning attempt at stitching together lives in turmoil during Paris Fashion Week. Some of it works. Most of it doesn’t.     What makes it worth watching […]

Lucky Strike (2026)

War is hell for lone-surving soldier in ‘Lucky Strike’       Vietnam had marijuana, but the drug of choice during World War II was cigarettes, most notably Lucky Strikes, a welcome staple in a G.I.’s ration kit. Not only did they calm frayed nerves, but they also were a dead giveaway of American-born German soldiers attempting […]

Peter Asher: Everywhere Man

Music legends sing praises of icon in ‘Peter Asher’      I don’t know about you, but I wouldn’t want to live in a world without Peter Asher, the multifaceted redheaded Brit who made icons out of James Taylor, Linda Ronstadt and Carole King while winning two Grammys as Producer of the Year and enjoying his […]

Voicemails for Isabelle (2026)

Flawed ‘Voicemails’ not totally phoned-in      If the makers of the Netflix rom-com “Voicemails for Isabelle” were honest with themselves, they would have named this Zoey Deutch vehicle “You’ve Got Voicemails.” That’s how unabashedly it rips off the Nora Ephron hit that itself was a wholesale pilfering of Ernst Lubitsch’s “The Shop Around the Corner.” […]