Backstage Pass

The final quote spoken by Gloria Gaynor in her new documentary film says it all: “I will survive and thrive.” If ever there was a role model for perseverance in the face of adversity, Gloria Gaynor could be the poster child. Her hit song, “I Will Survive” (1978), has served…

Bryce Dallas Howard from the (Jurassic World franchise) is Elly Conway, the author of a series of best-selling spy novels. Her books center on secret agent Argylle (Henry Cavill) and his mission to unravel a global spy syndicate; the film gets interesting. When Elly is traveling by train with her…

Here’s a tale of a British teen, Jann Mardenborough (Archie Madekwe), whose excellent gaming skills with PlayStation’s Gran Turismo landed him in a professional racecar competition. The title says it all, although the film should probably be named based on the hard-to-believe true story. In the hands of the excellent…

  It’s been 20 years since “Mean Girls” starring Lindsay Lohan, Amanda Seyfried, Amy Poehler, Rachael McAdams, Tina Fey, and Tim Meadows debuted. The original screenplay writer, Tina Fey, based the film on the book Queen Bees and Wannabes by Rosalind Wiseman. The new 2024 film is also based on…

The docudrama Netflix film centers on long-distance swimmer Diana Nyad (Annette Benning), who stopped swimming competitively after she turned 30 years old, although her failure to complete the journey from Cuba to Florida continued to plague her. Based on her autobiography book, “Find a Way,” Julie Cox adapted the screenplay….

George Clooney directs a true sports drama that centers on the sport of competitive rowing that takes place in 1936, before and during the Olympics in Nazi Berlin, Germany. The book is based on the New York Times bestselling book of the same name by Daniel James Brown. Beginning at…

“Wonka” is the musical origin story of the classic movie based on the book “Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.” It stars Timothée Chalamet as Willie Wonka. He’s a magician, inventor, and chocolatier who dreams of opening his chocolate factory. Surprisingly, the film has enough new ideas and charm that…

While viewing “Maestro,” one becomes immersed in the world of the musical genius Leonard Bernstein (Bradley Cooper) as well as the love story between him and his wife, Felicia Montealegre, (Carey Mulligan). Having a background in teaching gifted students, writing gifted curriculum, and with the knowledge of the characteristics of…

“The Holdovers” is the story of an eccentric boarding school teacher, played by Paul Giamatti, who works at an elite school where each year, a teacher stays at the school during the holiday break to watch the students whose parents can’t take them home. The students are called the holdovers;…

“The Marvels” is the sequel to “Captain Marvel” that opened in (2019). Nia DaCosta serves as director and co-writer. Screenplay credit also goes to Megan McDonnell and Elissa Karasik. The three main female characters are Brie Larson as Danvers, Teyonah Parris as Rambo, and Iman Vellani as Khan, with Samuel…