Meet Shazam and Diane

One of the gratifying things about reviewing movies is the massive variety of styles and genres that filmmakers can explore. For example, a pair of the more noteworthy and watchabl... Read More

Movie Reviews

Just what the doc ordered

By Michael Snyder

The beauty of the documentary is the wide range of subjects and points of view the format can accommodate, whether simply celebrating a life, showcasing a significant moment in tim... Read More

Movie Reviews

Panther power and subversion

By Michael Snyder

It’s been a few weeks since the release of the incredibly enjoyable, wildly kinetic, and unquestionably groundbreaking superhero movie Black Panther, the latest addition to what�... Read More

Movie Reviews

Assessing the best of 2017

By Michael Snyder

It’s like clockwork when you cover the motion picture business. The beginning of a new year inevitably brings … one or more lists of the previous year’s best movies. So w... Read More

Movie Reviews

A Christmas entertainment grab bag

By Michael Snyder

‘Tis the season. Can’t miss it. Can’t avoid it. You can try to secularize it in a generic way (“Happy holidays!”), recalibrate your festive winter solstice focus to Hanuk... Read More

Movie Reviews

From Cannes with love and prestige

By Michael Snyder

As the holiday season approaches, those of us who cover the movie industry can be thankful the quality of the releases increases. It’s that time when we see the bulk of contender... Read More

Movie Reviews

Historically cinematic

By Michael Snyder

Some astute fellow from back in the day said, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” If only I could recall who that was. Just kidding. The quote come... Read More

Movie Reviews

Busting out the big summer movies

By Michael Snyder

Summer is officially upon us june 20, but the summer movie season starts in early May. It’s a time of big-budget franchise films and family oriented crowd-pleasers, despite t... Read More

Movie Reviews

Ticket to ‘Toon Town

‘My Life As a Zucchini’ & ‘Your Name’

By Michael Snyder

I remember when 2D cartoons and various sorts of stop-motion animation were considered niche or kiddie fare. Even the word “cartoon” suggests something frivolous and tr... Read More

A & E, Movie Reviews

Ticket to ’Toon Town

By Michael Snyder

I remember when 2d cartoons and various sorts of stop-motion animation were considered niche or kiddie fare. Even the word cartoon suggests something frivolous and trivial. Not tha... Read More

Movie Reviews

The message is the medium

By Michael Snyder

The message movie isn’t quite a staple of Hollywood filmmaking, which is an enterprise generally dedicated to crowd-pleasing entertainment for over a century. But that doesn&... Read More

Movie Reviews

Big-screen hits and shouldn’t-misses of 2016

By Michael Snyder

Rather than serve up my annual carafe of whine about the burden of compiling yet another best-movies-of-the-year list, I’ve accepted that it’s in-line with my responsib... Read More

A & E, Movie Reviews

Two for the ballot

By Michael Snyder

As December tumbles in to the sound of jingle bells and cheer, awards season ramps up in Movieland. Holidays mean blockbusters and prestige releases from the major studios. But the... Read More

A & E, Movie Reviews

Local kicks and twists

By Michael Snyder

Two movies with major Bay Area connections are being released this month, and despite their differences, the gritty narrative Kicks and the provocative documentary Author: The JT L... Read More

A & E, Movie Reviews

Accomplishing a princely feat

By Michael Snyder

Imagine my delight at learning of a new animated movie based on French author and aviator Antoine de Saint-Exupery’s beloved 1943 novella, The Little Prince, a book I’v... Read More

Movie Reviews