Turns out I’m not alone in hating ‘The Notebook’
(CNN) Recently, I wrote a piece about how classic movies we once loved can disappoint us in hindsight. As a critic, I get lots of feedback, especially…
‘I Am Woman’ review: Helen Reddy biopic stars stellar leading lady
Watching this biopic about the creator of an iconic feminist anthem, I wondered what singer Helen Reddy makes of the one we’re loving in 2020: Cardi B’s “WAP.”…
Have Covid-19 test results, will travel
(CNN) — After our summer of housebound limbo, a handful of international travel options are finally opening back up, with conditions.So how do you meet the Covid-19 safety…
‘I’m Thinking of Ending Things’: Charlie Kaufman, master of psychological horror?
The title suggests a joke about director/writer Charlie Kaufman’s reliably baffling third acts. But this Netflix release is an adaptation of Iain Reid’s acclaimed 2016 novel…
Colon cancer survivor says it’s time to take the disease seriously
In a year that has already brought so much tragedy and loss, Chadwick Boseman’s death at age 43 seems unthinkably cruel and unfair. How could such a…
The Beat Goes On
There’s a key moment early in “The Go-Go’s” when baby-faced L.A. punks Jane Wiedlin and Belinda Carlisle take a road trip to San Francisco to…
‘Class Action Park’: Amusing Ourselves to Death
Class Action Park, debuting today on HBO Max, documents a legendarily dangerous New Jersey amusement park, Action Park, that closed for good in 1986. Johnny Knoxville of…
Dim Bulb
Tesla is a bit of a mess, but at least it’s not another plodding biopic. That honor, in electrical-inventor history, belongs to The Current War, which even…
‘Waiting for the Barbarians’ review: Heavy-handed, but Johnny Depp sure is scary
There are a handful of novels said to be fundamentally unfilmable, “A Confederacy of Dunces,” “Lolita” and “Dune” among them. Many of them have, of…
Big-city dwellers ask: Should I rent or buy a car?
(CNN) — With no end in sight to pandemic lockdowns, an increasing number of cooped-up, big-city dwellers are feeling the lure of the open road. After…