|
|
Randy Rhoads: Reflections of a Guitar Icon
(2022)
|
Roger Catlin
|
Rhoads deserved better in life and in film, as this one was cobbled together from second hand interview tapes, smudgy concert video and a lot of still pictures.
Posted Mar 17, 2023
|
|
|
Raymond Lewis: L.A. Legend
(2021)
|
Roger Catlin
|
Polomski’s direction is almost as fast moving as Lewis himself; the story fairly flies along, unveiling its surprising facts as it goes along, unfolding revelation after revelation especially to those who may not recall the tale.
Posted Feb 10, 2023
|
|
|
You Resemble Me
(2021)
|
Roger Catlin
|
Much of the success of the storytelling is due to the actress Mouna Soualem, very expressive in portraying a woman who is alternately wounded, defiant, exuberant, mournful and determined.
Posted Jan 28, 2023
|
|
|
Tiger 24
(2022)
|
Roger Catlin
|
Pereira thoughtfully hears them out without using the information to steer the film one way or another. It’s up to an audience to consider what should have been done.
Posted Jan 13, 2023
|
|
|
Murder, Anyone?
(2022)
|
Roger Catlin
|
The give and take and dim jokes are right out of the 2D cartoon world.
Posted Jan 13, 2023
|
|
|
I'll Find You
(2019)
|
Roger Catlin
|
There is a tinge of old-fashioned movie making here, and yet the chaste love scenes and somewhat glossed-over war scenes make it the kind of romantic fare fine for families.
Posted Jan 13, 2023
|
|
|
Everybody Dance
(2022)
|
Roger Catlin
|
It’s a ringing example of the power of the arts when experienced by the young.
Posted Jan 13, 2023
|
|
|
The Take Out Move
(2022)
|
Roger Catlin
|
The selling point for “The Take Out Move” is that it only cost $3.500 to make, and it kind of shows. But maybe the cost of watching it should be scaled down accordingly as well.
Posted Nov 04, 2022
|
|
|
Stalker
(2020)
|
Roger Catlin
|
Originally titled "Blinders," the idea was to open audience eyes at the world's prevailing scams and self delusions. But maybe a blunt and obvious title like "Stalker" ends up being more fitting after all.
Posted Jul 18, 2022
|
|
|
Facing Nolan
(2022)
|
Roger Catlin
|
The kind of high quality documentary you’d expect on ESPN’s “30 for 30.”
Posted Apr 23, 2022
|
|
|
Not to Forget
(2021)
|
Roger Catlin
|
In the end, there isn’t a whole lot we’ve learned about the disease at hand, if that was the intent of Zanoli, who wrote, produced and directed. But we may have learned a few things about casting.
Posted Mar 11, 2022
|
|
|
Outlier
(2021)
|
Roger Catlin
|
Just another woman in peril saga you'd see every night on bad TV. The whole sci-fi angle never really reaches the surface.
Posted Dec 20, 2021
|
|
|
Lotawana
(2022)
|
Roger Catlin
|
A delight to find as an independent debut, "Lotawana," with its beautiful tableau and singular vision has the heart to succeed as a cult hit and maybe even a classic.
Posted Dec 20, 2021
|
|
|
Single Mother by Choice
(2021)
|
Roger Catlin
|
It's fleet, adaptive storytelling that addresses both the limitations caused by the lockdowns and the social upheaval that couldn't be ignored.
Posted Dec 08, 2021
|
|
|
Hell or High Seas
(2021)
|
Roger Catlin
|
Alternately fighting heat and cold, there are just as many moments of just savoring the experience and it is an exhilarating trip for audiences to stag along on.
Posted Nov 29, 2021
|
|
|
Killing the Shepherd
(2021)
|
Roger Catlin
|
There is certainly a good documentary to be made about the issues facing African villages, wildlife and commercial big game hunters, especially one with this much fine photography. But this certainly isn't it.
Posted Nov 29, 2021
|
|
|
The Last Days of Capitalism
(2021)
|
Roger Catlin
|
The actors bring the most life into it that they can, even as the increasing amounts of money they throw around has less and less meaning.
Posted Oct 27, 2021
|
|
|
Four Hours at the Capitol
(2021)
|
Roger Catlin
|
As right wing gaslighters increasingly pretend the attempted insurrection of Jan. 6 didn't happen, wasn't as bad as the media says, or isn't worth Steve Bannon's time to testify about, it's helpful to see the full fury of the day in the new documentary.
Posted Oct 20, 2021
|
|
|
Fauci
(2021)
|
Roger Catlin
|
Absorbing and ultimately uplifting.
Posted Oct 12, 2021
|
|
|
Seeding Change: The Power of Conscious Commerce
(2020)
|
Roger Catlin
|
A refreshing look at solutions that work and are working. It's that rare thing, an optimistic film about environmental possibilities and working solutions that doesn't overstay its welcome.
Posted Sep 28, 2021
|
|
|
Fever Dreams
(2021)
|
Roger Catlin
|
Maybe hopes for a wider audience is the biggest fever dream of all.
Posted Sep 10, 2021
|
|
|
Bitchin': The Sound and Fury of Rick James
(2021)
|
Roger Catlin
|
It's surprising that there hasn't previously been a full film documenting the singer's remarkable life of ups and down. Director Sacha Jenkins... takes on the task with a verve that reflects the artist at hand.
Posted Sep 03, 2021
|
|
|
Parallel Love: The Story of a Band Called Luxury
(2018)
|
Roger Catlin
|
[A] solid documentary.
Posted Aug 09, 2021
|
|
|
Steps
(2017)
|
Roger Catlin
|
Clocking in at nearly two hours, it's almost as if "Steps" could play better as a limited series on a cable service the way the storylines proliferate and characters appear.
Posted Aug 02, 2021
|
|
|
Marathon
(2021)
|
Roger Catlin
|
Other than a couple of mentions of the Boston Marathon bombing (too soon?), Marathon is a pleasant enough romp, something that strives.
Posted Jul 14, 2021
|
|
|
Touch
(2020)
|
Roger Catlin
|
Aleksandra Szczepanowska's feature debut Touch is quite an astounding achievement... its arrival announces the presence of a substantial talent.
Posted Jun 22, 2021
|
|
|
Trust
(2021)
|
Roger Catlin
|
While it's interesting to see the TV faces stretching a bit in grownup big screen roles, none of them go much father in range than we've seen them before.
Posted Jun 12, 2021
|
|
|
Too Late
(2021)
|
Roger Catlin
|
Too Late is engaging largely due to Limperis' performance.
Posted Jun 03, 2021
|
|
|
Oslo
(2021)
|
Roger Catlin
|
The film with Ruth Wilson and Andrew Scott is a measured unfolding of the enduring sticking points.
Posted Jun 01, 2021
|
|
|
Friends: The Reunion
(2021)
|
Roger Catlin
|
There's laughs, highlights, bloopers, and a lot of tears. What's more there's a backstage emotional undertow revealed for the first time that may make you rethink the entire series.
Posted May 27, 2021
|
|
|
Before/During/After
(2021)
|
Roger Catlin
|
Each New York shot [is] really beautifully framed and sumptuous. It makes what is already a satisfying, grown-up and fully-realized assessment of the dissolution of a relationship also a treat to watch.
Posted May 17, 2021
|
|
|
Paint
(2020)
|
Roger Catlin
|
It's all pretty fast moving and credible in [Michael] Walker's vivid condemporary New York landscape.
Posted May 03, 2021
|
|
|
Bad Cupid
(2021)
|
Roger Catlin
|
What's solid about the film is that it had a smart ending in place before they started that's satisfying for a couple of reasons, making the film certainly better than the scores of rom-coms produced annually where things run a little too smoothly.
Posted Apr 27, 2021
|
|
|
My True Fairytale
(2021)
|
Roger Catlin
|
The youthful cast that includes Juliana Destefano, Morgan Lindholm and BJ Mitchell, are mostly fine in scenes structured for maximum soap opera drama.
Posted Apr 12, 2021
|
|
|
In Action
(2020)
|
Roger Catlin
|
Other than showing the absolute limits of the lowest of low budget movies, this wears out its welcome at just about the time they get restrained by their captors.
Posted Apr 09, 2021
|
|
|
Transference: A Love Story
(2020)
|
Roger Catlin
|
It's largely a sweet, subtle romantic story with an underpinning of a certain truth.
Posted Apr 09, 2021
|
|
|
Tina
(2021)
|
Roger Catlin
|
Makes a splashy case for Tina Turner at a time when she's one of the nominees for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Posted Mar 29, 2021
|
|
|
Francesco
(2020)
|
Roger Catlin
|
Filmmaker Evgeny Afineevsky says he had unfettered access to the Vatican, and the result is the utmost positivity.
Posted Mar 29, 2021
|
|
|
West Michigan
(2021)
|
Roger Catlin
|
It's a charming little story mostly because the siblings are so engaging and credible in their semi-detached relationship to one another.
Posted Mar 09, 2021
|
|
|
COVID Diaries NYC
(2021)
|
Roger Catlin
|
Though it seems there have been a lot of coverage, there's something new being expressed in the well-done "COVID Diaries NYC".
Posted Mar 09, 2021
|
|
|
The Mimic
(2020)
|
Roger Catlin
|
The scenes go on and on.
Posted Mar 08, 2021
|
|
|
This Is Not a War Story
(2021)
|
Roger Catlin
|
A clear-eyed, ambitious and ultimately hopeful story told through the eyes of veterans.
Posted Mar 04, 2021
|
|
|
Black Art: In the Absence of Light
(2021)
|
Roger Catlin
|
It's both a comprehensive overview and a visual delight at a time when museums are still shuttered.
Posted Feb 12, 2021
|
|
|
Salt-N-Pepa
(2021)
|
Roger Catlin
|
[Salt-N-Pepa] is buoyed by the music from the hip hop team, the spirited performances from GG Townson and Lalia Odom as Cheryl "Salt" James and Sandra "Pepa" Denton respectively.
Posted Jan 25, 2021
|
|
|
Tulsa
(2020)
|
Roger Catlin
|
Unless Tulsa becomes a cult item in the category of sub-Norris attempts, it may be time for Pryor to return his full focus to personal injury law.
Posted Jan 22, 2021
|
|
|
Donna
(2021)
|
Roger Catlin
|
Amundsen is an appealing actress with some flashes of Ali McGraw here and there, but we have to question her character's judgment from the start by going with such an obvious disaster.
Posted Jan 19, 2021
|
|
|
Ice Cream in the Cupboard
(2020)
|
Roger Catlin
|
In a laudable adherence to reality, the film doesn't reach for any magic resolution at its end.
Posted Jan 14, 2021
|
|
|
Minor Premise
(2020)
|
Roger Catlin
|
A nifty puzzle, a scientific thriller that doesn't insult the intelligence with any superfluous corn.
Posted Jan 13, 2021
|
|
|
The Ringmaster
(2019)
|
Roger Catlin
|
Like a few other films about failed film projectss, this one has a lot to offer. It's an enjoyable watch that would only be made better with a fresh basket of just the right onion rings.
Posted Jan 12, 2021
|
|
|
Elizabeth is Missing
(2019)
|
Roger Catlin
|
Glenda Jackson turns in a brilliant performance as a woman descending into dementia.
Posted Jan 04, 2021
|
