Movie review: Book Club

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Movie review: Book Club

I have never read the infamous 50 Shades of Grey by E.L. James. I'll try not to judge (too much) those who have. From all I've heard, it just seems too trashy—not fun-trashy just trashy-trashy—for my tastes and time. There are far too many other books on my to-read list and far too little time in which to tackle them for me to squander even seconds on trashy-trashy.

The four 60-something, forever friends of BOOK CLUB initially seem to agree with me on such. Diane (Diane Keaton), Vivian (Jane Fonda), Sharon (Candice Bergen), and Carol (Mary Steenburgen) have met monthly for decades to discuss books—reading selections made on a rotating basis—men, and more. 50 Shades of Grey is not the sort of selection the refined readers read. Initially.

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Saturday movie review: Finding Your Feet

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Saturday movie review: Finding Your Feet

In real life, a cheating husband and an estranged sister are hardly cause for warm fuzzies or fits of giggles. In the British romantic comedy FINDING YOUR FEET, though, the husband gets what he deserves, the sister holds the key to healing, and the audience reaps the uplifting reward of watching a spurned woman dance her way to a happy place she never imagined might exist.

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Saturday movie review: Absolutely Anything

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Saturday movie review: Absolutely Anything

The 2015 British comedy ABSOLUTELY ANYTHING is absolutely ridiculous, absolutely odd, and absolutely unbelievable.

Which is what makes it an absolutely perfect escape film. The spoof on science fiction films features an amusing and uplifting alternate reality sure to appeal to anyone seeking a break from our real-world reality that's neither amusing or uplifting of late. Especially appealing for fans of Simon Pegg, the Monty Python crew, and Robin Williams, all who have

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Saturday movie review: Hunt for the Wilderpeople

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As I sat down to write my movie review on the HUNT FOR THE WILDERPEOPLE, a New Zealand adventure/comedy/drama starring Sam Neill and Julian Dennison that premiered at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival, a few choice words came to mind. Rather than attempt to deftly weave those words throughout my review, I'll just lay them on the line right here, right up front.

Choice words for HUNT FOR THE WILDERPEOPLE:

offbeat • poignant • outrageous • hilarious • sweet • silly • memorable • coming of age • wacky • well done • charming • delightfully deadpan • madcap • touching • must-see

hunt for the wilderpeople

HUNT FOR THE WILDERPEOPLE ("wilderpeople" being a twist on "wildebeest") is one of those films that flew so below the radar that finding it — after seeing Sam Neill interviewed on...

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Saturday movie review: Sing Street

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I have never been an Irish teenage boy. Especially not one who idolizes pop musicians and desperately longs to be one in hopes of securing the attention and affection of a pretty girl so they can run off together to create a brighter future far away from parents on the brink of divorce.

I have, though, been an American teen who idolized musicians and longed to be one — Barbra Streisand? Stevie Nicks? — in hopes of creating a brighter future far away from parents on the brink of divorce. Whether I secured the attention and affection of a cute guy or not.

Which is why SING STREET resonated deeply with me. Why it made my heart sing.

sing street movie 

Writer and director John Carney (ONCE, BEGIN AGAIN) masterfully captured the intense feelings of adolescents — across the globe, throughout generations — who crave and voraciously...

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Saturday movie review: Special Correspondents

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Not long ago, my husband and I saw a Graham Norton Show (our favorite talk show) episode in which his guests included Eric Bana and Ricky Gervais. They were plugging the upcoming release of their Netflix original feature film, SPECIAL CORRESPONDENTS, written and directed by Ricky Gervais. From the giggles and guffaws their banter elicited from the host and other guests — as well as my husband and myself — I figured the comedy would be a fun diversion and quickly added it to my queue.

We finally got around to watching it last week, and it was indeed a fun diversion. Far different from most everything else in my Netflix queue, but far more fun, for sure.

special correspondents netflix film

SPECIAL CORRESPONDENTS stars Eric Bana as Frank Bonneville, a self-absorbed radio journalist who hasn't reached the career level he hoped for and believes he deserves. Problem being...

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Saturday movie review: The Fundamentals of Caring

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Paul Rudd has created a career primarily out of funny films. I like him best, though, when he's not funny. I'm not talking comedic bits that crash and elicit crickets. No, I mean his dramatic roles where he reveals more heart than humor that most endear me to Mr. Rudd.

I found Rudd's most recent part of that sort, in THE FUNDAMENTALS OF CARING, more endearing than any before.

The Fundamentals of Caring Netflix Original

THE FUNDAMENTALS OF CARING is a Netflix Original film and I must first give kudos to Netflix for...

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Saturday movie review: I'll See You In My Dreams

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I'll just come right out and say it up front: This is a lovely film! You should see it!

 i'll see you in my dreams

I'LL SEE YOU IN MY DREAMS has a lovely cast. Of older people! There's Blythe Danner, Sam Elliott, Rhea Perlman, June Squibb, Mary Kay Place. All older, all lovely, all a joy to watch in this film. There's a younger guy and gal, too: Martin Starr, whom I...

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Saturday movie review: The English Teacher

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Julianne Moore is quite an accomplished actress, as we all know, especially in the drama genre. She can also be pretty funny, though, which I realized after recently watching THE ENGLISH TEACHER.

Moore stars with Greg Kinnear, Nathan Lane, Michael Angarano, and Lilly Collins (plus some other familiar faces) in this 2013 comedy, which never hit my radar at the time it hit the theaters but I serendipitously stumbled upon it on Netflix Streaming.

The English Teacher movie

Linda Sinclair (Moore) is a forty-something English teacher who has, pretty much

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Saturday movie review: While We're Young

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If you're one of those people who, regardless of your age or stage of life, still feel like you're not quite one of the grown ups, that you're a youngster pretending to do and be what folks your age should be doing, then WHILE WE'RE YOUNG will resonate. I assure you I am one of those people, and I assure you the recent dramedy from writer/director Noah Baumbach hit home—and the heart—on multiple levels.

While We're Young comedy

Ben Stiller and Naomi Watts, both teetering on joining the 50+ club in real life play 40-something Josh and Cornelia, a...

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