Category: Film Reviews

Popcorn and Inspiration: ‘Hidden Figures’: NASA’s First Black Female Math Wizards

December 25, 2016 | PG | 2h 7m There was an African-American woman in the 1960s whose math skills not only outstripped all her male rocket-scientist colleagues at NASA, but also out-computed NASA’s gigantic, room-sized IBM computer. This is how we spell role model. Her staggeringly accurate calculations were solely responsible for sending America’s most…


Iconic Films: ‘Lawrence of Arabia’: A Searing Biographical Epic of an Eccentric Hero

As a lifelong fan of cinema, it was hard to admit that I couldn’t remember much of director David Lean’s 1962 masterwork “Lawrence of Arabia.” It is one of those films that I’d seen bits and pieces of with family members many years ago but, due to circumstances, wasn’t able to enjoy many of the…


Interviews Review: Don’t Miss The Must-See Drama ‘A Good Cop,’ Available on EpochTV

Commentary Starting Dec. 19, EpochTV will be streaming “A Good Cop,” which also premiered on NTD Cable TV, Sunday Dec. 5. The TV Show is a four part series that follows the lives of three cops at different stages of their careers and the moral dilemmas they face on a daily basis. According to the…


Film Review: ‘The Unforgivable’: Sandra Bullock’s Crime Thriller Is a Big Winner

R | 1h 54min | Drama, Crime, Thriller | 10 December 2021 (USA)Although she made her big screen debut in 1987, Sandra Bullock didn’t appear on anyone’s radar until playing the co-lead in “Speed” from 1994. Almost instantly she became the new industry “It” girl and began getting offers that at the time were going to the likes of Meg Ryan and…


American Treasures: ‘West Side Story’

Hollywood tends to ruin its remakes of classic movies with clumsy attempts to update them and make them “relevant.” Two examples are the cheesy 1976 “King Kong” and Amazon’s current desecration of “Cinderella.” So, like many others, I cringed when I heard that Steven Spielberg was filming a new “West Side Story.”  The 1961 original…


Film Review: ‘House of Gucci’: Gaga Can’t Save Gucci

November 24, 2021 | R | 2h 38m Based on the 2000 book “The House of Gucci: A Sensational Story of Murder, Madness, Glamour, and Greed,” “House of Gucci,” by acclaimed British director Ridley Scott (“Blade Runner,” ”G.I. Jane,” “Alien”) has a go at the fashion world: It’s about the rise and fall of the…


What Makes a Good Christmas Story? ‘The Green Knight’ Movie Versus the Original Poem

I wanted to sit in a plush, velvet movie-theater seat, gripping the armrest tightly in anticipation. I’d waited expectantly for the Christmas-themed “The Green Knight,” based off one of my ultimate favorite books, to be released. But after watching the trailer, reading a detailed synopsis, a review, and an analysis, and after seeing the terrible…


Film Review: ‘The Girl Who Believes in Miracles’: A Faith-Based Film About Faith Healing

April 2, 2021 | PG | 1h 40m Do you believe in miracles? If so, “The Girl Who Believes in Miracles” will work for you. If you don’t, this won’t be the film to convince you that Jesus saves. Why? It’s not based on a true story. Even based on true stories, faith-based films, such…


Popcorn and Inspiration: 2012’s ‘Emperor’: Japan’s Emperor Offered Himself to Be Punished

Imagine if the president of the United States was considered by U.S. citizenry to be a living god.


Top 10 Plus 5 Best Movies of 2021

Beginning in the early spring every year, I start assembling my Top 10 film list as I maintain the belief that not all great Oscar contenders are released in the fall. That’s when studios inundate critics with screenings, on-line links, and the occasional hard-copy DVDs in the 11th hour hoping that what we watch last will…