Cats: A Beautiful Cat-astrophe

 Francesca Hayward as Victoria.

I can thank Barney for my introduction to Cats. Of all places to put a direct-to-video trailer of Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical, a VHS copy of Barney's Great Adventure is an odd choice. There was also an episode of Reading Rainbow that showed a behind-the-scenes look at Cats with Broadway actress Loni Ackerson preparing for her role. Since then, I've heard snippets now and then on how it's considered a Broadway masterpiece and for its iconic song "Memory." It wasn't until I saw an episode of the animated adult comedy The Critic, that there was some general level of disdain towards the show.

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker Ends With a Sizzle

Kylo Ren vs Rey

There's something about the title in a Star Wars movie that gives it its mythic and mystical identity without being too overt (A New Hope, Revenge of the Sith, The Last Jedi, etc.) When the title for Episode IX was revealed as The Rise of Skywalker, it sounded pompous and obvious. True, the saga has been mostly about the Skywalker lineage but did it have to be flaunted this way?

Double Review: Frozen 2 & Klaus

Two animated movies that take place in a winter wonderland. One is a juggernaut that is taking the world by storm, the other is an underdog looking to brave the storm.

A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood is Beautiful Indeed

Tom Hanks as Mr. Rogers.

Documentaries being turned into movies is nothing new, though it has been popping up more frequently from The Walk, Snowden, Our Brand is Crisis, and Welcome to Marwen. The results have been mixed to say the least as the impact of what was caught on camera in real-life is tricky to recreate for a feature film. Which brings us to the latest in this trend. The story behind on the most beloved TV icon Fred Rogers was beautifully told in Morgan Neville's documentary Won't you Be my Neighbor? and one of my favorite movies of 2018. It will be a tough act to follow but if director Marielle Heller (Can You Ever Forgive Me?) can earn Melissa McCarthy an Oscar nod, then there's hope yet.

Knives Out: A Sharp and Captivating Mystery

Detective Blanc (Daniel Craig) and Marta Cabrera (Ana de Armas). 

I can't recall the last time we had a good mystery movie. I'm not talking about the psychological thrillers or neo-noirs like Gone Girl or Chinatown, I mean an old-fashioned whodunit murder mystery. The last one that comes to mind is the campy but enjoyable Clue movie from the eighties. Leave it to Rian Johnson, who after the success of Star Wars: The Last Jedi returns to his roots that began with his first film Brick, in a story that would make Arthur Conan Doyle and Agatha Christie proud.