Backstage Pass

Lesley Manville stars as an older widowed cleaning lady Mrs. Harris in 1950s London who falls in love with a Christian Dior dress—she decides to save her meager earnings until she has enough to buy one. This enchanting fairy tale nudges all never to stop giving up on your dreams….

Taika Waititi’s “Thor: Love and Thunder” is a triumph to behold, staying true to the tongue-in-cheek humor with solid themes of love and family—it’s one of Marvel’s strongest films to date. Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, and Tessa Thompson reprise their roles. The film opens as Gorr (Christian Bale), the villain…

“Minions: The Rise of Gru” takes place before the original “Despicable Me” movie franchise that started in 2010; therefore, it’s a prequel. With a setting of the 1970s, young Gru is proudly 11 and ¾ years of age—and eager to be villainous as he proclaims to his classmates during his…

Elvis fan or not, Austin Butler and Baz Luhrmann have brought America’s biggest rock and roll star to life with a renewed understanding and empathy. Presented through Baz’s iconic filmmaking style—dazzling, frantic, glitzy, over-the-top visuals, it’s his best film to date. The great news is he’s made Butler into an…

Disney Pixar’s animated “Lightyear” accomplishes its main film orbit in transporting a family-centered story with engaging characters with just the right amount of humor and adventure—after all that’s what you’d expect from a space ranger hero. Despite its “Toy Story” origins, the film serves as an entertaining stand-alone movie now…

“Chip and Dale: Rescue Rangers,” “Bad Guys” Hi Carl, and hello to all of our listeners out there. Here are the winners of the 75th Cannes Film Festival that closed last Saturday evening after 11 days of films. The jury led by French actor Vincent Lindon announced the Palme d’Or winner…

Cannes Film Festival Update: Downton Abbey: A New Era, “Stranger Things” Conclusion Part 1 Hi Carl, and hello to all of our listeners; the news from the Cannes Film Festival is that the movie Elvis is set to premiere. Here’s the excellent news, Lisa Marie Presley loves the film, as…

  “Downton Abbey: A New Era” Who’s ready for palm trees in a “Downton Abbey” movie? The French countryside never looked more lovely than in director Simon Curtis’s sequel to “Downton Abbey.” Opening in theaters, the cast reunites to discover a mystery centered on Violet,, played by the amazingly talented…

The generated hype for the long-awaited “Top Gun: Maverick” began with a ‘Global Premiere Red Carpet Fan Experience’ at the USS Midway Museum on May 4 in San Diego, California. The 250-foot Red Carpet commenced as Tom Cruise arrived via piloting a helicopter. Fans of the original “Top Gun” 1986…

As I mentioned last week on Hollywood 360 radio, I’m an accredited member of the 75th Cannes Film Festival, and I’ll be reporting weekly. The US film “Top Gun: Maverick” will open Wed. May 18, in Cannes. I will be screening the film and will report back next week. Forest…