- John Hansen
- June 23, 2021
‘Wonder Wheel’ (2017) a stagy, gorgeous drama
I’m a sucker for movies set in amusement parks, which makes me both adore “Wonder Wheel” (2017) and judge it harshly. The colorful 1950s Coney
‘Wonder Wheel’ (2017) a stagy, gorgeous drama
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- John Hansen
- June 22, 2021
‘In the Heights’ not quite great, but hard to hate
“In the Heights” (HBO Max and theaters), the film adaptation of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s 2005 stage musical, asks a viewer to commit to the NYC neighborhood
- John Hansen
- June 21, 2021
Crichton’s ‘Scratch One’ (1967) a too-tangled web
“Scratch One” (1967), the second of Michael Crichton’s eight John Lange novels, starts slowly and without direction. I thought I’d have to make a tough
- John Hansen
- June 16, 2021
In ‘Blue Jasmine’ (2013), there are no shortcuts
Cate Blanchett shines in “Blue Jasmine” (2013), but only figuratively. More literally, as the title character, she sweats, grimaces, shakes and shivers through a masterful
- John Hansen
- June 10, 2021
‘Solaris’ (2002) fails to find purpose of its existence
Writer-director Steven Soderbergh’s “Solaris” (2002) tries to do something different 30 years after the classic Russian adaptation of the Stanislaw Lem novel. It fails in
- John Hansen
- June 9, 2021
Allen loves another city in ‘Midnight in Paris’ (2011)
We know Woody Allen loves New York City, but that doesn’t mean it comes at the expense of the other great cities of the world.
- John Hansen
- June 2, 2021
‘Magic in the Moonlight’ (2014) has fleeting charm
“Magic in the Moonlight” (2014) is a middle-of-the-road Woody Allen rom-com, which still makes it better than most genre works — but leaves one thinking
- John Hansen
- May 27, 2021
Depressive ‘Solaris’ (1972) is the anti-‘2001’
Watched today, “Solaris” (1972) requires a pact with the viewer beforehand. It offers none of the things we look for in modern space films, such
- John Hansen
- May 12, 2021
Daniels shines in sweet ‘Purple Rose of Cairo’ (1985)
“The Purple Rose of Cairo” (1985) is a sweetly whimsical Woody Allen picture that demonstrates a love for cinema along with a healthy understanding of
- John Hansen
- May 9, 2021
Christie gets theatrical in ‘Murder in Three Acts’ (1935)
There are two types of mystery readers: Those who view the book as a puzzle they must solve, and those who read it for the