Choosing a February film is like walking in a cow pasture: Watch where you step. Oscar nominated and winning  films finally get mainstream release but bad ones sneak into the market with flashy trailers that outperform the finished product. Others slip into town without advance notice. You can pick a stinker this time of year […]

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December brings to cinemaphiles its usual array of big rep films. Most this year are over-hyped and overblown. Marketing can get us in the theater but can’t make us love one. I use a 5-finger (high-five) rating system where 5 is outstanding, 4 very good and worth seeing, 3 is mediocre, with 2 not worth […]

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As autumn leaves and winter gathers its winds, so change the types of films that arrive in the theater. This is “actor season,” when better films supplant the tapestry of summer choices. These seven films are all out now and one in particular is outstanding. I use a “5 finger” scoring system, with 5 being […]

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I write screenplays and rarely watch TV but love to go the movies for a very simple reason: All is possible inside a dark theater. In late summer our local cinemas show little films, niche releases, foreign imports, and blow-’em-up, smash ’em up big budget action films. Viewers should be choosy: the pickings is a […]

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I write screenplays and much prefer a movie theater to the television. As the calendar slides into the heart of the summer blockbuster big budget season, the quest for a great film continues. Below are one-sentence reviews for ten recent and current releases. Most are forgettable but several are worth the money. One in particular […]

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