Author: Katie Walsh
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Movie review: ‘Barbarian’ a horror triumph replete with satisfying twists and turns
In 2007, Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez tapped an up-and-coming genre filmmaker, Edgar Wright, to make a parody trailer for a fake movie to play between their “Grindhouse” double feature. Wright came up with “Don’t,” in which a gravelly voice intones, “If you are thinking of going into this house — don’t! If you are…
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Movie review: WWII action film ‘Burial’ packed with weighty philosophical questions
As the horrors of World War II continue to resonate throughout our collective memory, writer/director Ben Parker mines that time period for his historical action/horror film “Burial,” and finds an original concept within that well-known milieu. Using a framing device set in London in 1991 that reminds us of the ways in which Nazism still…
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Review: Regina Hall shines in muted religious satire
Adamma Ebo’s directorial debut, “Honk For Jesus. Save Your Soul.,” is a bracing and bold film that blends documentary-style filmmaking into a traditional narrative to create a bone-dry comedy and social commentary that’s one part “The Office” and two parts “The Eyes of Tammy Faye.” The always-excellent Regina Hall stars as Trinitie Childs, the long-suffering…
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Getting ready for spooky season
October is here. For some, that means pumpkin spice season. For others, it’s the start of spooky season. Though Halloween might not be the same this year, there are many ways to celebrate safely at home. So light that autumnal candle, grab that pumpkin spice latte and cue up some of these scary streaming TV…
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Movie review: ‘The Mule’ is a boring, racist melodrama
The first line uttered in Clint Eastwood’s “The Mule” is from Earl Stone (Eastwood), who greets one of the workers on his daylily farm: “Hey José, what’s with the taco wagon? It’s like you were born to be deported.” Then José and Earl laugh, which is how all of Earl’s many wildly racist remarks are…
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Movie review: Modern take on ‘Little Women’ is faithful to a fault
Starring Sarah Davenport, Lea Thompson, Lucas Grabeel, Melanie Stone, Ian Bohen, Bart Johnson, Elise Jones, Allie Jennings; directed by Clare Niederpruem; 112 minutes; PG-13 for some thematic elements and teen drinking. “Little Women,” Louisa May Alcott’s tale of sisterhood and hardship, is a much beloved story often embraced by female filmmakers over the years. And…
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It’s Statham vs. shark in ‘The Meg,’ and you’re gonna need a bigger popcorn
It’s as true in 2018 as it was in 1975: There’s no better way to beat the summer heat than a movie about a big shark. From “Jaws” to “The Shallows,” moviegoers have been gobbling up flicks about treacherous fish for decades, and it’s time to meet our newest finned foe: “The Meg.” It’s the…
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Movie review: Not-scary ‘Slender Man’ misses the mark
What darkness lies in the dreamy imaginative minds of young girls? The mystery has been a source of inspiration for horror classics from “The Bad Seed” to “The Exorcist,” and it could have been a fascinating theme to explore in the internet-inspired “Slender Man,” written by David Birke and directed by Sylvain White. Unfortunately, this…
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Classic Ferdinand now a film
Starring John Cena, Kate McKinnon, Jeremy Sisto, Bobby Cannavale, Raul Esparza, Jerrod Carmichael, Lily Day; directed by Carlos Saldanha; 106 minutes; PG for rude humor, action and some thematic elements. The beloved children’s book “The Story of Ferdinand” by Munro Leaf, with illustrations by Robert Lawson, was published in 1936. But the simple, pacifist story…
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Emily Blunt excellent in ‘The Girl on the Train’
‘The Girl on the Train’ Starring: Emily Blunt, Justin Theroux, Luke Evans, Haley Bennett, Allison Janney, Lisa Kudrow, Rebecca Ferguson; directed by Tate Taylor; 152 minutes; R for violence, sexual content, language and nudity. —- Paula Hawkins’ debut novel “The Girl on the Train,” is a story told through multiple points of view that takes…