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.

Late Night with the Devil (2024)

Sly ‘Devil’ puts the darkness into late night The ingenious “Late Night with the Devil” is arguably among the best satires ever of television and our obsession with it. And to pull it off within the realm of the horror genre only adds to the deliciousness of a movie that is so much a representation […]

Road House (2024)

Idiocy packs a punch in ultra-violent ‘Road House’ Few are as gifted as Doug Liman when it comes to directing snarky action flicks, whether they are cerebral like “Go” and “Edge of Tomorrow” or as brainless as his new Amazon Prime streamer, “Road House.” The guy just has a knack for appealingly taking joshing and […]

Uproar (2024)

Uplifting ‘Uproar’ will have you cheering loudly       Coming-of-age stories rarely scale the heights of “Uproar,” a bold and ambitious New Zealand import about an ostracized teen learning to embrace his Maori heritage and take a stand against racism the world over. The film, co-directed by Paul Middleditch and Hamish Bennett is very much akin to […]

Remembering Gene Wilder (2024)

Wilder documentary is barely worth ‘Remembering’ For about 45 minutes, “Remembering Gene Wilder” is an absorbing chronicle of a comedic actor who was arguably one of the most iconic stars of the 1970s. From “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory” to “Blazing Saddles” to “Young Frankenstein” to “Silver Streak,” Wilder apparently could do no wrong. […]

One Life (2024)

Stirring ‘One Day’ redefines ‘save the children’ I’m ashamed to admit that before seeing “One Life” I had not heard of Sir Nicholas Winton or the Brit hero’s remarkable effort to evacuate hundreds of Jewish children from Czechoslovakia in the lead-up to World War II. It’s a discovery I won’t soon forget. I wish I […]

Asleep in My Palm (2024)

‘Asleep’ grabs hold with a full-Nelson approach It would be easy to dismiss the scattershot “Asleep in My Palm” as a product of nepotism. But there’s more than a trace of talent showcased in Henry Nelson’s debut feature about a father and daughter living off the grid. Still, it’s doubtful that the dramedy would exist […]

Air Force One Down (2024)

Katerine McNamara in “Air Force One Down.” Idiotic ‘Down’ is just ‘plane’ awful In unleashing one of the dumbest movies in a while, director James Bamford’s “Air Force One Down” counters the current presidential field by introducing a young, virile POTUS (Ian Bohen) able almost single-handedly to quash an Astovian uprising. I say “almost” because […]

Float (2024)

Soggy ‘Float’ doesn’t offer much Bang for buck If you’re searching for the perfect Valentine’s Day movie, “Float” ain’t it. It’s actually not much of anything, beyond a pleasing showcase for Andrea Bang (“Luce”) as Waverly, an overtaxed med student seeking asylum from an impending residency and her cloying parents. She finds said refuge with […]

Robert Eggers (2015)

Eggers conjures a cult hit with ‘The Witch’ Great things have been happening to Robert Eggers since the New Hampshire native won the top directing prize at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival for his Puritan horror tale, “The Witch.” But it might not have ever happened if it weren’t for the folks at Plimoth Plantation, […]