Backstage Pass

The sci-fi teen drama, with action, adventure, and humor, is set in modern-day Philadelphia two years after Thaddeus Sivana’s defeat in “Shazam!” The two daughters (Hespera and Kalpso) of Titan Atlas (Hellen Mirren and Lucy Lui) broke into the Acropolis Museum in Athens, Greece, and stole the Wizard’s staff. The…

My selection’s during the Toronto International Film Festival September 2022 started off with the comedic writer-director Paul Weitz’s film, “Moving On,” starring Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin, Malcolm Macdonald, and Richard Roundtree. The story centers on a man (Howard), played by Macdonald, giving a eulogy at his wife’s funeral; a college…

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be orphaned and discover that you may have a sibling? That’s the premise of “The Magician’s Elephant.” The film is based on the popular young adult fantasy novel of the same name by Katie DiCamillo. The fantasy setting is an…

“Outer Banks” is an American teen drama streaming on Netflix, created by twin brothers Josh and Jonas Pate and told through their childhood experiences. The brothers grew up on Kiawah and Johns Island in South Carolina and around Wrightsville Beach in North Carolina. They felt the class divide was real…

The award-winning TV series “The Bear” is rated (TV-MA), which means for (mature) audiences, it’s streaming on Hulu. Jeremy Allen White (“Shameless” 2011-2021) is ‘the Bear’ he’s a young top Michelin star chef who returns home to Chicago to help in his deceased brother’s Italian beef sandwich shop. The restaurant…

Are you looking for an uplifting film? “80 for Brady,” starring Lily Tomlin, Jane Fonda, Rita Moreno, and Sally Field, is your winning ticket. The movie is based on a true story of a woman approaching her 90th birthday who wanted to see Tom Brady play football in person. She…

It’s always a treat to have a new TV series that’s entertaining and, in this case, just plain fun. “Poker Face” streaming on Peacock is by the renowned writer/director from the creator of the “Knives Out” films, Rian Johnson. Meet the new Columbo, ‘her’ name is Charlie Cale, played by…

The Sundance Film Festival, located in Park City, Utah, is the largest independent film festival in the United States. Having covered it remotely for the last three years, I was anxious to attend in person. The festival started on January 19 and concluded on January 29. I arrived the day…

The best thing a film can try to do is shift through the impression that everything is a foregone conclusion, thus leaving viewers without any possibilities. “A Man Called Otto” starring Tom Hanks as Otto does just that, a depressed, suicidal elderly man who wants to end his life and…

Oscar nominated screenwriter Sarah Polley serves as screenplay writer and director of a horrific story based on true events in a Mennonite community in Bolivia. Polley adapted the film set in 2010 from the best-selling novel “Women Talking” by Miriam Toews. The actual shocking events involved 151 women and girls…