Author – The Durango Herald

Review: ‘Maleficent: Mistress of Evil’ goes darker in this bleak and, most unforgivably, boring sequel

Disney’s revisionist “Maleficent” took the “Sleeping Beauty” story that inspired the studio’s own 1959 animated classic and turned it upside down, right on the horned head of its titular pro...

DATE: Oct 20, 2019 | CATEGORY: Film, TV and Streaming

Review: ‘Zombieland: Double Tap’ repeats what worked in the first film, to good effect

There’s a repetitive – but not necessarily redundant – quality to “Zombieland: Double Tap,” a violent, funny and satisfying sequel to the 2009 cult hit zombie comedy about a quartet of human...

DATE: Oct 19, 2019 | CATEGORY: Film, TV and Streaming

Review: ‘Good Boys’ a surprisingly sweet comedy about raunchy side of tween boy life

Much has been made of how “Good Boys” – an R-rated comedy about a trio of sixth-grade nerds caught up in a misadventure involving drugs, sex toys, beer and slapstick mishaps – looks like a j...

DATE: Aug 18, 2019 | CATEGORY: Film, TV and Streaming

‘Annabelle’ is good, dumb – and scary – summer fun

Artistically, it’s hard to sustain, let alone build on, a popular horror franchise. The cinematic “Conjuring” universe – an interconnected series of hit horror films that began with 2013’s ‘...

DATE: Jun 29, 2019 | CATEGORY: Film, TV and Streaming

X-Men’s probable swan song a dirge

“Dark Phoenix” isn’t kidding about the “dark” part. The latest, and probably final, chapter in the X-Men superhero saga is a somber, even funereal affair – not in a stylish, Christopher Nola...

DATE: Jun 8, 2019 | CATEGORY: Film, TV and Streaming

Octavia Spencer as a horror-movie villain? Yes, and she’s actually really good

As a movie villain, the titular mischief-maker of the psychological horror film “Ma” – an unhinged middle-aged enabler whose house becomes Party Central for a gaggle of teens looking for a p...

DATE: May 31, 2019 | CATEGORY: Film, TV and Streaming

‘Aladdin’ remake charms, in a clumsy sort of way

Right off the bat, you can tell that Disney’s live-action “Aladdin” has avoided some of the missteps of the original animated film. The lyrics of the song “Arabian Nights,” which is sung in ...

DATE: May 24, 2019 | CATEGORY: Film, TV and Streaming

The new John Wick movie does what John Wick movies do best, beautifully and brutishly

“Do what you do best, John.” That tidbit of wisdom – delivered late in the film “John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum” to the title character – is good advice for anyone, really, if ...

DATE: May 17, 2019 | CATEGORY: Film, TV and Streaming

The new Tolkien movie is about fellowship, but that’s not quite as fun as lords and rings

By virtue of its marketing campaign (and, um, its name), the film ‘Tolkien” suggests that it is a portrait of the formative years of J.R.R. Tolkien, the English author of “The Hobbit” and “T...

DATE: May 10, 2019 | CATEGORY: Film, TV and Streaming

Movie inspired by plush toys delivers a beautiful message

The story behind UglyDolls – the toys, not the new animated movie about them – is a real charmer. Aspiring artist/storytellers David Horvath and his then-girlfriend Sun-Min Kim created the f...

DATE: May 5, 2019 | CATEGORY: Film, TV and Streaming

Something’s rotten about ‘Intruder’

When casting was announced two years ago for the “The Intruder,” the working title was “Motivated Seller.” The thriller stars Michael Ealy and Meagan Good as a young couple who move into the...

DATE: May 4, 2019 | CATEGORY: Film, TV and Streaming

‘Avengers: Endgame’ a fitting end

If there’s a single phrase that sums up the guiding principle of the Marvel Cinematic Universe – the interdependent series of superhero movies that, with the arrival of this week’s “Avengers...

DATE: Apr 25, 2019 | CATEGORY: Film, TV and Streaming