Backstage Pass

Christopher Nolan is one of my favorite filmmakers; his attention to detail, tone, acting, production sets, and sound is always a delight. “Inception” (2010), “The Dark Knight”(2008), “Dunkirk” (2017), and “The Dark Knight Rises”(2012) come to mind when I look back on his memorable films. He’s set the bar high…

Margot Robbie stars as Mattel’s fashion doll Barbie, and Ryan Gosling is the Ken doll in director Greta Gerwig’s excellent and creative film. The fantasy comedy movie is based on the dolls from the Mattel Toy company that began in 1959. Until then, most of the dolls in the world…

Disney’s remake of the classic animated 1989 movie “The Little Mermaid” is here with live-action characters and Ariel, Halle Bailey as the star. She carries the film despite the overlong runtime as her sweet, strong voice is the key to uplifting the live action amid the overstuffed script and elongated…

Harrison Ford stars as Indiana Jones, the multi persona hero—a world-traveler explorer who is also a nerdy archeologist professor in the final movie of the series, which premiered in 1981 with “Raiders of the Lost Ark.” The ever-popular series followed up with “Temple of Doom” (1984), “Last Crusade” (1989); and…

Director Peter Sohn creates a new world in “Element City,” where earth, fire, water, and wind are elements similar to the elements table we all learned in school. Sohn has been with PIXAR for many years; he directed the short film “Partly Cloudy” that ran before the hit movie “Up.”…

“Spider-Man: Across the Universe” is the sequel to the first movie, “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse,” the film is both animated and live-action. Seventeen-year-old Miles Morales is Spider-Man, and Shameik Moore voices him; the story also centers on Gwen Stacy or Spider-Gwen, voiced by Hailee Steinfeld. Here’s the great news about…

If you’re wondering which number in this series, I’ve got you covered as I’ve seen them all, ‘Rise of the Beasts’ is number seven. The movie is based on the Hasbro Transformers toys with influence from the “Beast Wars” storyline. The film is a sequel to “Bumblebee” (2018) and a…

Currently, the film has a 96% score on Rotten Tomatoes of 54 reviews, and this critic can’t wait to add hers! I’ll have to wait alongside everyone else in the world for the October 6 opening in theaters—as customary; I’ll be invited to review along with other critics a few…

“Succession” season one aired in 2018 on HBO to rave reviews. It’s based on the famous, wealthy Murdock family. It stars Brian Cox (Logan Roy), the family’s patriarch; Jeremy Strong (Kendall), his son; Kieran Calkin (Roman), another son; and Sarah Snook (Shiv), his daughter. The story revolves around their company…

Yes, they’re back, those wise-cracking, wine-drinking, Hollywood award-winning ladies—Jane Fonda, Candice Bergen, Mary Steenburgen, and Diane Keaton for their follow-up to “Book Club” (2018). In this sequel, the girls decide to take a trip to Italy for a Bachelorette party and a wedding, although it’s no surprise that Jane Fonda…