Review: Father Stu is a Watchable Mess

By Ben Miller

Rosalind Ross' Father Stu can't decide what film it wants to be. Is it the unorthodox story of a man coming to terms with aging, or is it the fish-out-of-water story of a man who shouldn't be a priest joining the priesthood? This lack of vision turns the film into a tonal mishmash, but one that is inherently watchable.

Mark Wahlberg stars as Stuart "Stu" Long, an amateur boxer approaching middle age in Montana.  Frequently drunk and delinquent, Stu looks to turn his life around by moving to Los Angeles to become an actor.

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Review: "Aline" is a Stranger Version of Your Average Biopic

By: Christopher James

Director/actress Valerie Lemercier tackles the life of "Aline Dieu" from age 5 to 50.Aline is a conundrum and a contradiction. More than any other recent biopic, Aline soldiers through all of the cliches and plot devices we’ve seen repeated ad nauseum. Yet, there’s a bizarre core that spins every scene on the axis. Much like the “subject,” Céline Dion, it’s a movie that tries to appear normal, but is so much wackier than one would imagine. 

Everyone’s first question is answered in the opening disclaimer. “This film is inspired by the life of Céline Dion. It is, however, a work of fiction. As such, some characters, places and facts have been modified, in keeping with the filmmakers’ vision.” Céline Dion songs are used throughout the film and the closest the movie comes to a central storyline mimics Dion’s own relationship with her much older manager, René Angélil. It’s hard to see why a name change was needed when so many other elements hewed close to life. 

So is Aline “so bad it’s good,” “better than expected” or just “bad bad”?

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Doc Corner: David France's 'How to Survive a Pandemic'

By Glenn Dunks

Documentaries about the COVID-19 pandemic aren’t rare. Just over two years into it, and already a long list of titles exist claiming to offer us insight into some area of the response. Some have worked (Nanfu Wang’s In The Same Breath, Hao Wu and Weixi Chen’s 76 Days—both shortlisted for the Oscar) while others haven’t delivered where you would expect. They have been sometimes rushed, likely out of sheer determination to be completed in time for relevance, little knowing just how deep we would be without a clear exit. Because of this reason, many are dated by the time we get to see them.

How to Survive a Pandemic is unfortunately more of the latter. The film is something of a curiosity for its director David France. Curious because despite having the weight of timeliness on its side, Pandemic lacks the propulsive immediacy of his earlier films How to Survive a Plague and Welcome to Chechnya.

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Review: Sandra & Channing sparkle in 'The Lost City'

By: Christopher James

Sandra Bullock and Channing Tatum search for their own "Romancing the Stone" vehicle in "The Lost City."There are some movies that are “perfect films,” masterpieces that elevate the bar on what cinema can do, where not a single frame should be changed. Other movies are “perfect versions of themselves.” The Lost City is not a perfect film by any means. However, it is the perfect version of itself. It’s a light on its feet, star driven adventure-romance-comedy. Watching it transports one back to the 90s, when movies could be sold solely on a movie star and a logline. If the trailer makes you chuckle, you’ll be giggling for the entirety of the 112 minute running time.

There’s the old saying, those who can’t do… teach. In The Lost City, one could say: those who can’t be archeologists, write horny romance novels. That is the fate of Loretta Sage (Sandra Bullock), who has not left her house since the passing of her beloved explorer husband. Her latest entry in the bestselling romance novel series "Lovemore and Dash"  is about to drop and Loretta’s publisher, Beth (Da’Vine Joy Randolph), insists on putting her on a book tour...

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Doc Corner: 'The Andy Warhol Diaries' on Netflix

By Glenn Dunks

There have been a lot of films, series and books about Andy Warhol and the company he kept. Documentaries alone, I could definitely list off a dozen titles by heart from prestige to the trash. And there's no reason for that to stop now. After all, Warhol’s factory of superstars and the art they produced will no doubt continue to inspire other creatives for as long as there is art. The Andy Warhol Diaries on Netflix will certainly not be the last. Although it may just go down as at least one of the more definitive of the bunch—as well as the slickest...

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