I was interested in this pandemic picture, available on HBO Max, because it was promoted as a heist flick with Anne Hathaway and Chiwetel Ejiofor that took unique advantage of the real-life lockdown to film in a deserted Harrod’s. The plot is that the two are an estranged couple who are splitting up but are trapped together in the same house in London. They hatch a plan to take advantage of the circumstances to steal luxury goods from Harrod’s when […]

Out next week on home video is a new documentary on Audrey Hepburn. Audrey: More Than an Icon is available on DVD or Blu-ray December 15, and on VOD on January 5. I requested and was provided a DVD review copy, because some of her films are some of my favorites, and I was curious to learn more about hoer life. I must have already picked up more than I realized, because I don’t felt as though I learned much […]

Scotch: A Golden Dream is an hour-and-a-half documentary about the making of Scotch whisky and its many traditions. With views of green pastures, amber liquid, and Scottish activities and outfits, it opens in a relaxing mood and continues in the same style, building layers of knowledge revolving around one particular master of the drink. Finished a couple of years ago, the movie will be available on demand on May 7. (Since I previously watched Neat: The Story of Bourbon, I’m […]

I went to see the newest Marvel Cinematic Universe movie release, Captain Marvel, this morning. While there was a lot about the movie I intellectually appreciated — such as its focus on female friendship — emotionally, I was left cold. And quite often, bored, waiting to get to the next set piece. Typical of current blockbusters, there’s too much focus on action scenes that can be hard to follow, since they’re set in dark spaces. I’m rarely interested in Marvel’s […]

I saw Aquaman last night, and as expected, it was big dumb action fun. The best thing about the movie, I thought, was the immersive visuals of the seascapes, from immense glowing underwater cities to abandoned gathering places with giant decaying statues. That’s why I was glad I saw it in the theater, even if it is too long (2 1/2 hours, almost) and could have been more tightly edited. Putting in both Ocean Master (Orm, Arthur’s half-brother, played by […]

As with many recent Pixar movies, Incredibles 2 isn’t a great, ground-breaking animated work with new emotional insight. They don’t do that as much any more, instead focusing on revisiting familiar characters and spending more time with them. It’s comfortable instead of challenging, but the result is still a good cartoon movie. (The studio provided a review copy.) I love the old-style staging of the film. Cars and clothes are retro, but the city has a monorail. Apparently, the setting […]

Now that the feature-length Pixar movies are more focused on sequels and known quantities, the short films are where the most exciting concepts and animation techniques are found, in my opinion. Pixar Short Films Collection Volume 3 has a mix of original ideas and cartoon shorts with Pixar favorite characters. It contains the following, each of which can be played with or without a filmmaker introduction and/or commentary. Bao – by Domee Shi, 2018, shown with Incredibles 2, about a […]

The movie that’s the grandfather of our current era, with the domination of superhero films at the box office, has been released on the newest video format, 4K Ultra HD. The 1978 Superman, starring Christopher Reeve, showed that you could do superpowers believably on film. This year is the 40th anniversary of the movie and the 80th anniversary of the character. Unfortunately, there is no new content on this package to mark that milestone. It would have been great to […]