Film Review: ‘Standout: The Ben Kjar Story’
The documentary “Standout: The Ben Kjar Story” tells the story of a young man in Utah born with the rare craniofacial disorder Crouton Syndrome, who turns a lifetime of bullying…
Film Review: Billy Gardell in ‘The Vortex’
“The Vortex” is an unusual little film, whose mysteries begin with the nebulous title, which could be about horror, flooding or storms. Here, it likely refers to the swirling downward…
Film: Pat Oliphant Feted in ‘A Savage Art’
At a time when the number of editorial cartooning jobs have been depleted at the biggest of papers — and during an era that screams for sharp political satire —…
Film Review: ‘Unbanked’ Advocates Bitcoin
When it comes to the wild, largely unregulated world of Bitcoin, a documentary about its rise, and how it works, is certainly warranted. Especially at a time when some of…
Movie Review: ‘Uppercut’ With Ving Rhames
There have been scores of boxing movies throughout the history of cinema, and they all largely follow the same formula: the dream, the training and the big fight. Thorsten Reuther’s…
Film Review: Kevin James in ‘Guns Up’
It’s a long Segway ride from Paul Blart, Mall Cop to the deadly ex-cop Kevin James plays in the new film “Guns Up.” In it, he’s left his police career…
Film Review: Long Movie for Short Ride
The rules of Professional Bull Riding, I have recently learned, involve staying on a bull for eight seconds, while holding on with one hand. Creating a feature film about an…
Film Review: ‘The Zebra and The Bear’
“The Zebra and the Bear” sounds like a nature film, but in this case the zebra represents someone with a rare disease and the bear is the protective mama who…
Film Review: ‘The King of Kings,’ Cartoon Jesus
About the time he was creating the crowd-pleasing “David Copperfield,” Charles Dickens was writing a book meant for a much smaller audience — his children. “The Life of Our Lord,”…
The Vigilante Movie Returns: ‘Shooting Heroin’
The vigilante film was at its heights as a genre a half century ago with ugly crowd-pleasers like the Charles Bronson franchise “Death Wish.” But it can be traced back…