Inside Game, A Tremendous Rebound

Say what you might about the B level soundtrack and some of the clunky performances, Inside Game (directed by Randall Bantinkoff and written by Andy Callahan) has the true to life gritty feel of a quality reality show. It’s the perfect movie for sports fans, especially NBA fans, a hot topic right now considering that… Continue reading Inside Game, A Tremendous Rebound

I’d Buy a High Mortgaged House Just to be Mr. Roger’s Neighbor

Thank you Marielle Heller! As you did in Can you Ever Forgive Me (for which you personally weren’t nominated for direction, a shame) you’ve done it again here, once again with the forgiveness theme, in “A Beautiful Day on the Neighborhood”. The story written by the team of Micah Fitzerman-Blue and Noah Harpster (both also… Continue reading I’d Buy a High Mortgaged House Just to be Mr. Roger’s Neighbor

Ford V. Ferrari…Plastic Bumpers & Loose Screws

Ok, I need a mechanic..ya see, I’ve got this car and it looks great (Christian Bale, Tracy Letts) and has a tremendous history (the life story of Ken Miles is truly compelling), HOWEVER, the freakin’ thing seems to sputter. Jez and John-Henry Butterworth co-wrote the script and have done super work on Black Mass and… Continue reading Ford V. Ferrari…Plastic Bumpers & Loose Screws

Marriage Story Busts into My Top Three of the Year, Easily!

As if my birthday wasn’t fun enough in NYC with my beautiful son Liam, yesterday thanks to my-friend-who-treats-me-like-gold Jack Guren, I was privileged enough to see a screener of Marriage Story, Noah Baumbach’s take on the gut wrenching process of divorce. You’d think the way our jaded culture (and myself in colder moments) throws the… Continue reading Marriage Story Busts into My Top Three of the Year, Easily!

Ironically Not a Marvel, The Irishman

a brother-sister dynamics film

Dear Mr. Scorsese, You had me at ‘Marvel movies are not films’ having seen my share of 6 minute CGI’d super hero vs. villain fight scenes, HOWEVER, if you’re going to throw stones, check out your house’s (in this case The Irishman) exterior first, because honey, you need an editor who can be Frank who’s… Continue reading Ironically Not a Marvel, The Irishman

My New Number One Movie of the Year: Honey Boy

Results may change after some thought, but after seeing Honey Boy over the weekend in NYC, it’s my number one film of the year. In fact, when you think about it, the film has a great horse name, hence my top three finishers in this year’s ‘race’ are: 1. Honey Boy 2. The Lighthouse 3.… Continue reading My New Number One Movie of the Year: Honey Boy

Jaded (not Dolemite) is My Name

I sincerely respect the time and effort that goes into screenwriting and movie making. And I appreciated the message behind Dolemite is My Name, follow your dreams, take a chance. And so I feel jaded saying that similar to Pain & Glory, I was non-plussed by Dolemite is My Name. Again, I appreciated the story,… Continue reading Jaded (not Dolemite) is My Name

Pain & Glory: Espera un Minuto

Excuse me Senor, while I respected and ‘enjoyed’ the thorough story telling of Pain & Glory, I have to scream out ‘espera un minuto’ as far as all the accolades the film has received. Willem, Shia and Joaquin all did mucho more acting in The Lighthouse, Peanut Butter Falcon and Joker respectively and deserved the… Continue reading Pain & Glory: Espera un Minuto

Drum Roll for The Cine-World Tall Pole’s Small Poll Voting Results

I recently read a top 7 list of things never to do, one of which included; “never put yourself down”, but that would basically wipe out my entire comedy act…. so in another episode of ‘Does anyone really care about this blog?’ (visualize me with a sympathetic face holding a cue card with my email… Continue reading Drum Roll for The Cine-World Tall Pole’s Small Poll Voting Results

Glad It’s Night and The Two Popes

To finish off the Cine-World Film Festival at Burns Court Theater in Sarasota, the programmers showed The Two Popes, directed by Fernando Meirelles (The Constant Gardener) and written by Andrew McCarten (Theory of Everything and Bohemian Rhapsody). The Two Popes, while a tiny bit bloated (chop off the first chaotic ten minutes), was charming and… Continue reading Glad It’s Night and The Two Popes