My interview for the movie Book Club, with director Bill Holderman and screenplay writer Erin Simms was held in a suite at the beautiful Park Hyatt Hotel in Chicago, May 11, 2018. It’s always … Read more
Check in to Live with the Stars
I’ve always maintained that The Carlyle Hotel is a captivating art enthusiast destination in New York City due to the paintings of Ludwig Bemelman that adorn the walls … Read more
McCarthy’s Sweet Mom-Com Has a Ginormous Heart
Undeniably, Melissa McCarthy is one of the funniest women working in Hollywood to date. After her break-out role in Bridesmaids (2011), the female version of The Hangover, … Read more
Authentic Portrayal of Motherhood
Tully is a female character driven movie from the heart, which mothers universally will champion and applaud for its realism—to be clear, it is not the flawlessly staged Mommy Blog Instagram … Read more
A Triller with John Hamm Leading the Way
Beirut once known as the Paris of the Middle East hasn’t seen those days of glory since the 1975 Civil War, the 1982 Lebanon War with Israel, … Read more
(Chicago, IL) — The Chicago Film Critics Association (CFCA), (of which I’ve been a member since 2009), the Chicago-area print, online and broadcast critics group that celebrates the art of film and film criticism Film … Read more
Both Exciting and Exhausting, the Underwhelming Supervillain Further Bogs Down the Overwhelming Amount of Characters and Scope
Avengers: Infinity War is part one of a ten-year Marvel finale, that includes 18 movies starting in 2008 … Read more
The 20th annual Roger Ebert Film Festival (Ebertfest), began on April 18 and ended on April 22, 2018, at the Virginia Theater in Champaign, Illinois. Film-goers were treated to a spotlighted celebration of past years … Read more
Hysterical “Blockers” Boasts Great Cast
The film Blockers main premise is most parents’ worst nightmare−the discovery your teen has made a haphazard life-altering decision. A parent’s glimmer of hope−they just may be able to “block” … Read more
Shh…Don’t Say a Word
Sci-fi giant spider-like creatures can’t see you—so no need to hide—except, if they hear you—they’ll kill you instantly. That’s the premise of this tightly edited, spine-tingling sci-fi horror film. Be prepared … Read more
Popcorn Movie is Worth the Price of Admission
Plot revolves around losing yourself in fantasy worlds, it zip-lines at hyper speed and changes environments just as quickly, jam-packed action with numerous pop-culture nostalgia. Yep, it’s … Read more
My interview with writer/director Susan Walter of the film, All I Wish, a romantic comedy starring Sharon Stone as a late forties single woman who hasn’t found her dream career or the love of … Read more
Sharon Stone Still Rocks
Should a 60-yr-old actress permanently be typecast as a mom or a grandma? Sharon Stone can answer that question—the answer—an emphatic no way! When first-time director Susan Walter took a chance on … Read more
Action Sequences Mirror Transformer Films
The sequel to Pacific Rim continues the ten years after the setting of the original film, the year is now 2035 in a science fiction world where monsters are at … Read more
I Kill Giants
Pre-teen Struggles with Family Trauma
I Kill Giants is based on the graphic comic book series of the same name written in 2008 by the famous comic book writer Joe Kelly, of … Read more
Estonia Gains a Hero
This inspiring universally themed fictionalized story of Endel Nelis (Märt Avandi) an Estonian fencing champion who becomes a role model and mentor to students in his homeland is my kind of … Read more
WWI Drama Shows Courage and Heart
When one reflects back to WWI, images of soldiers fighting in trenches come to mind. Journey’s End, is a riveting account of those claustrophobic tight quarters along with … Read more
Yes, it’s a Non-stop Video-game with Little Pizazz
Tomb Raider (PG-13) stars Swedish actress Alicia Vikander it’s the remake of Laura Croft -Tomb Raider that starred Angelia Jolie in 2001. Both are based on a … Read more
Director’s Sharp Lens Keeps Us Watching
We all know teens do get into trouble, but how about murder? The awful step-dad, Mark (Paul Sparks) just ‘has’ to vanish from existence, and upper-class Lily’s (Anya Taylor-Joy) … Read more
Family Centered, Features a Rising Star-Storm Reid
Madeleine L’Engel’s novel A Wrinkle in Time, 1962 was first introduced to me in the late 80s when I began teaching fourth and fifth-grade gifted literature. We … Read more
Extremely Brutal and Degrading Toward Women
Red Sparrow rated R is based on a novel of the same name by Jason Matthews. Jennifer Lawrence stars as Dominika Egorova Russian Operative − a dangerous, abusive life … Read more
Best film of 2018 so Far
Black Panther is based on the Marvel comic book character, and raises the bar for all comic book films going forward. The film’s genre is Drama, Science Fiction, and … Read more
A ‘Fantastic’ Film
A Fantastic Woman is a foreign film from Chile that is nominated for an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language. (Update, March 4, 2018 A Fantastic Woman Won the Oscar and Daniela Vega … Read more
Diane Kruger gives a Riveting Performance.
The reason to see In the Fade is due to German-born Diane Kruger’s outstanding performance as a grieving wife and mother. She’s previously acted exclusively in English and … Read more