"Instant Family" starring Mark Wahlberg

Movies – Instant Family

One of the most heartbreaking problems in American society is the number of children and teenagers in the foster care system. According to the advocacy group Children’s Rights (childrensrights.org), there are nearly 438,000 children in foster care in the US on any given day, with over 687,000 kids having spent time in US foster care… Continue Reading Movies – Instant Family

Bohemian Rhapsody

Movie Review – BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY

There have been few rock stars in the annals of pop history who were as colorful as Freddie Mercury. As the lead singer of Queen, he used his four-octave vocal range to weave opera and rock together in ways that had never been heard before or since. His theatrical stage presence also drew a huge… Continue Reading Movie Review – BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY

cool kids the Movie

FALL ’18 TV REVIEWS

The current fall TV season has some high-profile shows featuring stars who are longtime favorites for the over-50 audience, with the return of two canceled shows in “Murphy Brown” and “Last Man Standing,” the reinvention of “Roseanne” without its controversial star as “The Conners,” and a brand-new show with what might turn out to be… Continue Reading FALL ’18 TV REVIEWS

Night School

Movie Review: Night School

The state of comedy films these days is pretty dire, with only “Crazy Rich Asians” having reached the blockbuster status of earning more than $100 million this year and “Girls Trip” and the “Jumanji” reboot being the only comedies to do so last year. The biggest part of the problem has been R-rated comedies, which… Continue Reading Movie Review: Night School

God Friended Me on CBS

God friended me – TV Review

The world is a confusing place these days for many millennials – the current generation of teens and twentysomethings who, according to polls, have been largely raised without any traditional religion or concept of God. Yet many studies also show that there is a yearning for a spiritual life, purpose and meaning among many of… Continue Reading God friended me – TV Review

Operation Finale

Movie Review – Operation Finale

As summer winds down and the supply of mega-budget blockbusters trickles out, Hollywood often releases some of its most blasé duds of the year over the Labor Day weekend each year. This weekend’s new release “Operation Finale” offers a mix of good and bad qualities by presenting a strongly acted and good-looking historical thriller that unfortunately… Continue Reading Movie Review – Operation Finale

Searching the Movie starring John Cho

Movies: Searching

Looking at the trailers or commercials for the new movie “Searching” – about a father who’s forced to dive into a real-life crash course on the Internet, social media and all manner of high technology in order to find his suddenly-missing teen daughter – and it might seem that this is a movie that is… Continue Reading Movies: Searching

Crazy Rich Asians Review

Movies: Crazy Rich Asians

Truly funny romantic comedies that are also actually romantic have been a rare and dying breed since “When Harry Met Sally”  nearly 30 years ago. Think about it: “Pretty Woman” might have had a happy ending, but at its core it’s still a story of a wealthy guy paying $3000 to have a hooker for… Continue Reading Movies: Crazy Rich Asians

8th Grade Movie Review

Movie Reviews: “Eighth Grade” and “Blindspotting”

In the heat of the summer movie season, it is often tough to find movies that have something to say rather than just things to shoot at. Thankfully, there are a couple of thoughtful movies out now that offer fresh takes on life, if you’re willing to look at the world from a somewhat younger… Continue Reading Movie Reviews: “Eighth Grade” and “Blindspotting”

Ant-Man and the Wasp Poster

Ant-Man and The Wasp

One of the many refreshing qualities that have helped the Marvel superhero movies dominate the global box office over the past decade has been their strong sense of humor. Rather than merely being brooding and morose like the DC films such as “Man of Steel” and “Batman vs. Superman,” the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) from… Continue Reading Ant-Man and The Wasp