Sunday, April 27, 2025 at 5:00PM by Nathaniel R
My invite arrived in February. So what if I finally walked in? I'm late to the party, true, but it's doesn't appear to be much of a shindig and it's still going on over at Apple TV+. Party planners director Scott Derrickson and screenwriter Zach Dean have done the bare minimum and way too much, respectively, to prep for their big event...
Thursday, April 10, 2025 at 9:00PM by Nathaniel R
Herewith belated reflections on a couple of titles from the first quarter that are now rentable. We meant to cover them at the time of theatrical release but we had writers block then. Oopsie. If you've seen them, do sound off.
NOVOCAINE
When I showed up at the critics screening of this action comedy, an old journalist acquaintance of mine said to me "I haven't seen you in forever! This is what brought you back out?" I may have been being called out for jumping off the hamster wheel of the tenuous writer's life but, also, it's a valid question...
Wednesday, April 9, 2025 at 3:00PM by Nathaniel R
Benjamin Franklin famously quipped "in this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes." We might add "...and new installments of the Marvel Cinematic Universe" to that shortlist. Especially since Captain America Brave New World arrives for digital rental/purchase on tax day itself, Tuesday April 15th next week. Unfortunately the new film is taxing and not to die for. On Valentine's Weekend when the film opened, I was in Pittsburgh (long story). I never regret seeing movies but I most definitely regretted splurging for an uber to get to a suburban multiplex because it happened to be opening weekend. For this, really? What was the rush?
Sunday, April 6, 2025 at 5:07PM by Nathaniel R
Fra Fee (Hawkeye, Prime Target) and Sion Daniel Young (Slow Horses, The Left Behind) are would-be parents in LOST BOYS & FAIRIES
Herewith a very modern problem. You see something interesting on a streaming channel and you subscribe without hesitation. You know you have too many subscriptions already. Before you know it you are paying hundreds of dollars for 10 services + add-ons. As much as I wish I had more self-control in this arena, I know I am not alone. Sometimes, though, the bleeding wallet is worth it. After subscribing to BritBox on Amazon Prime solely to watch "Lost Boys & Fairies", I do not regret it one iota. I will not even regret it a year from now when I realize I haven't watched anything else and am still paying for this one watch every single month.
In other words, I am here to emphatically recommend Daf James' BAFTA nominated miniseries Lost Boys and Fairies. It's an often surprising, emotionally dense, occassionally tuneful, and funny tearjerker...
Saturday, April 5, 2025 at 9:00PM ;)
One third of the year over, and already Steven Soderbergh reveals himself to be one of 2025's most exciting filmmakers. In this short span of time, the Oscar-winner has released two new features, starting with the bold POV ghost story of Presence. He followed that up with an old-school spy thriller about sexy liars and the stylish world of deceit they inhabit, Black Bag. As theatrical windows continue to shorten, both pictures are already available for at-home viewing, allowing audiences worldwide to consider Soderbergh's genre experiments up close and personal.
Indeed, shall we do just that? First up, the high-class shenanigans of Cate Blanchett and Michael Fassbender against the world…
