Movie Review: ‘Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes’ May 13, 2024By John Mulderig OSV News Filed Under: Movie & Television Reviews The values promoted in Josh Friedman’s script are certainly on target. And it’s easy to root for youthful Noa and his allies. Yet the pace is slow and there’s a lumbering feel to the proceedings.
Home viewing roundup: What’s available to stream and what’s on horizon May 9, 2024By John Mulderig OSV News Filed Under: Movie & Television Reviews Capsule reviews of theatrical movies available now for streaming or scheduled for broadcast on network or cable television as well as notes on TV programming for the same week.
‘Wildcat’ a reminder of Flannery O’Connor’s enduring attraction May 9, 2024By Maria Wiering OSV News Filed Under: Arts & Culture, Books, Movie & Television Reviews Ethan Hawke knows “Wildcat,” his film about the life and imagination of Southern writer Flannery O’Connor released May 3, is unlikely to attract general audiences. “It’s a difficult subject matter for a lot of people. They don’t know what to make out of it,” he said in a Q&A with media April 30. The film […]
Movie Review: ‘The Fall Guy’ May 7, 2024By John Mulderig OSV News Filed Under: Movie & Television Reviews Screwball comedies showcasing couples verbally duking it out in the battle of the sexes comprised a significant and often winning subgenre during the Golden Age of Hollywood. Whether the sparring partners were Gary Cooper and Jean Arthur or William Powell and Carole Lombard, audiences were likely to enjoy every round.
Movie Review: ‘Wildcat’ May 6, 2024By John Mulderig Filed Under: Movie & Television Reviews A blending of historical facts and Southern gothic fiction proves unstable in the biographical and literary drama “Wildcat” (Oscilloscope). As a result, director and co-writer Ethan Hawke achieves only mixed results as he seeks to introduce viewers to the life and works of Catholic author Flannery O’Connor.
Movie Review: ‘We Grown Now’ May 2, 2024By Kurt Jensen OSV News Filed Under: Movie & Television Reviews Behind “We Grown Now” (Sony Pictures Classics), a drama influenced by real-life events, looms the 1992 murder of 7-year-old Dantrell Davis in Chicago’s Cabrini-Green public housing project. The crime had far-reaching consequences.
Movie Review: ‘The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare’ May 1, 2024By John Mulderig OSV News Filed Under: Movie & Television Reviews Director and co-writer Guy Ritchie’s adaptation of Damien Lewis’ 2014 history “Churchill’s Secret Warriors” showcases some clever ruses and innovative, spur-of-the-moment thinking on the part of the U.K.’s Special Operations Executive (SOE). But the mission on which the main characters embark also involves the enthusiastic slaughter of extras by the dozen.
Movie Review: ‘Challengers’ April 29, 2024By John Mulderig OSV News Filed Under: Movie & Television Reviews Intense and erotically charged, the psychological drama “Challengers” (Amazon MGM) is, in a word, challenging. Yet, while it trespasses into territory many may not wish to visit, the serious artistic intent behind the production redeems some of its excesses, though only for a small group of mature moviegoers.
Home viewing roundup: What’s available to stream and what’s on horizon April 24, 2024By John Mulderig OSV News Filed Under: Movie & Television Reviews Capsule reviews of theatrical movies available now for streaming or scheduled for broadcast on network or cable television as well as notes on TV programming for the same week.
Movie Review: ‘Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire’ April 22, 2024By John Mulderig OSV News Filed Under: Movie & Television Reviews Moviegoers tempted by a title like “Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire” (Warner Bros.) are presumably not in search of Shakespearian levels of dramatic insight. Even so, the disparity between the reasonably impressive special effects on offer in the film and its low-grade human interaction remains noticeable.
Movie Review: ‘Abigail’ April 19, 2024By John Mulderig OSV News Filed Under: Movie & Television Reviews This humorous spin on the genre features a clever premise and often witty dialogue. Yet any amusement to be derived from it is drowned in a flood of needless bloodletting.
Movie Review: ‘Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire’ April 17, 2024By John Mulderig OSV News Filed Under: Movie & Television Reviews Although the proceedings are acceptable for most grown moviegoers, they’ll find that the freshness and buoyancy of “Afterlife” are noticeably lacking. Maybe it’s time for “Ghostbusters” to yield the dancefloor after all.
