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My Film Critic pants are covered in Spring-like flowers; they are on, pressed, and ironed. I'm ready to review four new movies in this week's capsule (short) movie reviews for Friday, April 11th, 2025. 1) THE AMATEUR James Hawes'   The Amateur  is a surprisingly solid entry in the spy thriller genre. It is a remake (or, more accurately, a new adaptation) that most people probably forgot already existed. Based on the 1981 novel by Robert Littell , the film was previously made

One of the absolute joys of watching certain genres—whether action, adventure, sci-fi, fantasy, or spy thrillers—is seeing our heroes get absolutely wrecked and yet somehow miraculously keep going. When a main character gets shot, stabbed, blown up, thrown off a building, crushed, run over, electrocuted, or beaten to within an inch of their life… and yet, they still  get back up and keep fighting. Well, except when the movie is terrible, as in the recent release of Novocaine

The 97th Oscars: A Night of Big Wins, Big Speeches, & Big Conan Energy Award season is officially over, and the 2025 Academy Awards  are now in the books. As I do every year, I watched the telecast. This year I watched with my girlfriend, Julie, and we had a small Oscar party, which was a blast. But the real fun? The live interactive chat on my Patreon page , where we had a great crowd of subscribers discussing the ceremony in real-time. We talked about the pacing, debated th

I'm wearing my warmest pair of Film Critic pants as I get over the flu to review six new movies in this week's capsule (short) movie reviews for Friday, February 21, 2025. 1) THE MONKEY Horror and comedy are two genres that require an incredibly precise balance to work well together. The best horror comedies understand tone, timing, and execution. They know when to lean into the terror and when to let the humor naturally evolve. The Monkey , directed by  Osgood Perkins  and b

I attended a wedding over the weekend, my first in many years, and it was a delight. The outdoor ceremony was lovely, enhanced by the incredibly perfect late October weather, and the reception was great fun. During the festivities, I kept thinking about movie weddings because that's how my weirdo movie mind works. While everyone else was moved to tears, gushing over the bride, and sharing love, I was humming "Push It To The Limit"   from the ridiculously garish wedding betwee