Film Review: Low Budget, Lowbrow ‘Con Job’
Former health care software developer Ian Niles began his film career in such teeny roles as “Repeat Offender,” “First Officer” and “Guy.” Lately, he’s been developing his own string of…
Film Review: Bonhoeffer Gets a Gun
The brave German pastor Dietrich Bonhoeffer, who railed against the Nazis and his church for doing nothing in the face of Hitler, is well-known in theological circles for his own…
Film: ‘Escape from Extinction: Rewilding’
It begins with the usual montage of environmental catastrophe: crashing glaciers, devastating storms, widespread drought, pollution-choked skies. All of it coming so fast, it triggers the usual knee-jerk helplessness and…
Movie: Luke Wilson’s Own ‘Bad News Bears’
Inspirational sports movies are practically a genre to themselves, from “Rocky” and “Hoosiers” to “The Natural” and “Field of Dreams.” Even the success in recent years of the streaming series…
Film Review: ‘Protocol 17’s Bad Medicine
There’s no question that propaganda films can sometimes also be entertaining. Even if the premise is extreme to the point of amusement, there may be good kitsch value in, say,…
Film: ‘The Last Keeper’ for Hunting Lodges
“The Last Keeper” begins with grisly scenes of what looks to be an indiscriminate shooting of elk on the Scottish highlands, driven from helicopters flying menacingly above, leaving prey lying…
Friday TV: ‘Descendants 4’ Desecrations
Lewis Carroll might spin in his grave and Walt Disney would completely defrost if they ever caught a glimpse of “Descendants: The Rise of Red” (Disney+, streaming), the teeny-bop adaptation…
Film Review: Two New Titles from Angel Studios
The success last year of “Sound of Freedom” the child trafficking film that grossed $250 million and finished in the year’s Top 10 (despite its QAnon associations) has afforded Angel…
Uplifting the Barrooms: ‘The Reverend’
Vince Anderson enters the modest stage in robes and long beard, striking the image of Dr. John working magic in music through a keyboard, a growly soulful voice and a…
Movie Review: ‘Cabrini,’ the Activist Nun
Before its current popular usage, “Nevertheless, she persisted” could certainly have been applied to Francesca Cabrini, a 19th century nun from what is now Northern Italy. Determined, organized, successful in…