The Upside review: Feel good until you think about it

In 2012 I saw the U.S. release of the French hit The Intouchables. I didn’t expect the American remake The Upside to be as good, and it’s not, but it was enough to bring back the positive feelings of Intouchables and remind me to watch the original again. Dell Scott (Kevin Hart) is an ex-con

The L.A. bank robbery and crime world Destroyer reveals

Heat set the gold standard for L.A. bank robberies, and the creators of Destroyer know it. So when their film involved a bank robbery in Los Angeles, they weren’t trying to top Heat. “I just always knew that it had to feel fast and gritty and chaotic because my understanding is that’s sort of how

There’s more to Nicole Kidman in Destroyer than her look

Nicole Kidman is a striking sight in her new movie Destroyer, and it’s not just her look glaring directly into the camera. She plays Det. Erin Bell grizzled from decades of undercover work on the streets of L.A. Kidman delivers a powerhouse performance, but is it okay if we say we’re not surprised? Of course

Aquaman movie review: Deep blue something

If you’re tied of green screen superhero movies, at least you’ll enjoy Jason Momoa rolling his eyes at one in Aquaman. Your mileage may vary how far that goes during the two hour, 23 minute run time.  Whenever Aquaman comes to life you can see what kind of movie it could have been. The above

Welcome to Marwen movie review: Toy story of terror

Robert Zemeckis’s live action Toy Story effect is sound. However, in Welcome to Marwen it raises disturbing questions when Steve Carell plays with them. Mark Hogancamp (Carell) takes pictures of action figures acting out World War II fantasies. This is true. The real Hogancamp’s art that helped him cope with a traumatic head injury was