changsmith2Dec 24, 20202 minHOSEA: Moving Update of an Old (Testament) Story“Hosea” is a brief Old Testament book in which God shocks both his readers and his prophet by ordering him to marry a sexually...
changsmith2Dec 24, 20202 minJINGLE JANGLE: A colorful and joyous new holiday classicRight around this time of year, folks start daydreaming about their favorite holiday movies, even posting mini-quizzes on social media to...
changsmith2Dec 24, 20202 minOVER THE MOON: Keen Keane's first featureI began following Glen Keane in the 1990s, when my family enjoyed his children’s books involving the wayward but likable Adam Raccoon. I...
changsmith2Dec 24, 20202 minLET HIM GO: Best New Movie This Year!It’s a rare film that offers equal doses of excitement and food for thought; one that provides both subtle nuance and visceral action;...
changsmith2Nov 6, 20202 minABE: Healing division with food, fusion and ... stranger things* * * (out of four) I sit down to write this review on the eve of the most divisive election I can recall. So it’s fitting that “Abe” --...
changsmith2Nov 6, 20202 minHONEST THIEF: Another good-not-great caper for Neeson* * 1/2 (out of four) You might think Liam Neeson was tired of saying things like, “I’m coming for you.” But apparently, he isn’t; and I...
changsmith2Nov 6, 20202 minTHE WAR WITH GRANDPA: Welcome back to the movies* * 1/2 (out of four) After a few previews that preceded “The War with Grandpa,” Williamsport’s AMC theater ran a full-screen shot saying...
changsmith2Nov 6, 20202 minTHE GREY FOX: Charming Western chestnut gets a handsome reboot* * * * (out of four) The 1983 sleeper “The Grey Fox” has long been unavailable in all its peerless beauty, because it was never released...
changsmith2Nov 6, 20202 minTHE ARTIST'S WIFE: Messy -- but countercultural* * 1/2 (out of four) The script for “The Artist’s Wife” constitutes what might charitably be called a “hot mess”; yet the film is worth...
changsmith2Nov 6, 20203 minTENET: Fasten your seatbelt* * * (out of four) After seeing “Tenet,” I suspect maybe writer-director Christopher Nolan was irritated that so many viewers guessed...
changsmith2Nov 6, 20202 minCrowe gets UNHINGED* * * (out of four) “Unhinged” is a competent, scary and absorbing thriller -- but it may not be the movie this country needs right now....
changsmith2Nov 6, 20202 minMADE IN ITALY: Neeson in Tuscany* * * (out of four) In 2009, Liam Neeson lost his wife, actress Natasha Richardson, after a terrible skiing accident. A member of the...
changsmith2Nov 6, 20202 minTHE CUBAN: Good Jazz & acting; not much else * * 1/2 (out of four) It’s hard to fault a film that has its heart so squarely in the right place. I’m speaking of “The Cuban,” an...
changsmith2Aug 25, 20204 min10 FILMS PROMOTING RACIAL HARMONYLycoming Critic’s Corner, June 2020 (for ON THE PULSE website) One reason Lycoming Critic’s Corner loves movies is their power to heal:...
changsmith2Aug 25, 20202 minA BEAUTIFUL MOVIE IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD* * * * (out of four) The cool thing about the new movie about Mr. Rogers is … it isn’t really about Mr. Rogers. And that would be just...
changsmith2Aug 25, 20202 min"1917" RANKS WITH THE GREATEST OF WAR MOVIES* * * * (out of four) In making “1917,” Sam Mendes deprived himself of a tool relied on by virtually every director in history:...
changsmith2Aug 25, 20202 min"STANDING UP, FALLING DOWN": Crystal's best work in this painful, funny sleeper* * * 1/2 (out of four) If you’re a fan of Billy Crystal, you really ought to see “Standing Up, Falling Down.” Directorial debut for...
changsmith2Aug 25, 20202 minYESTERDAY: Imagine there's no Beatles* * * (out of four) I’m not a huge fan of screenwriter Richard Curtis, as I didn’t care for the loose sexuality in “Love, Actually” or...
changsmith2Aug 25, 20202 minLOST GIRLS: Netflix original scores with strong performances and a solid message* * * (out of four) If you watch the terrific new Netflix thriller “Lost Girls,” it’s important to remember that the film is based on an...
changsmith2Aug 25, 20203 minDA 5 BLOODS: Lee leaps back into the fray* * * (out of four) Over the last two decades, it seemed as though Spike Lee was losing his momentum. After bursting onto the cinematic...