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.” […]
Unidentified (2025)
‘Unidentified’ mixes murder with empowerment Consistently ranking among the bottom dwellers on the human rights index, it’s little surprise that Saudi Arabia isn’t what you’d call female-friendly. But it’s getting better, as Haifaa Al-Mansour’s twisty whodunit, “Unidentified,” fitfully attempts to illustrate through the machinations of an amateur sleuth cleverly pushing the envelope by exploiting […]
Rose of Nevada (2025)
‘Rose of Nevada’ offers eerie voyage through time The eerie and ultimately affecting “Rose of Nevada” is not just a mystery wrapped up inside an enigma. It’s also definitive proof that multi-talented filmmaker Mark Jenkin has arrived intent on choking the life out of convention. He will likely remain an acquired taste for audiences […]
Kraken (2025)
‘Kraken’ proves fun creature-feature throwback You gotta admire an old-fashioned horror film that name-drops Greta Thunberg, who, to the unenlightened, is considered a bigger threat to our over-consumptive way of life than the titanic tentacled creature wreaking havoc in Pål Øie’s “Kraken.” It stands as both an homage and a revival of classic “message” […]
Mexico 86 (2026)
Soccer tale ‘Mexico 86’ shoots wide of the net With the World Cup getting underway next week in North America, Netflix is capitalizing with the debut of “Mexico 86,” a satirical look back at the last time the Land of the Aztecs hosted the matches. And it’s not a very flattering portrait, as director Gabriel Ripstein […]
Office Romance (2026)
Entertaining ‘Office Romance’ gets the job done With so many white-collar employees now telecommuting, the concept of romancing a co-worker is becoming a rarity, rendering J.Lo’s new Netflix rom-com, “Office Romance,” a bit of a relic, much like Jennifer Lopez herself. It’s time for her to give up the ghost and start challenging herself […]