FILM REVIEWS | josephwsmith

changsmith2

Dec 24, 2020
2 min

HOSEA: 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...

10 views0 comments

changsmith2

Dec 24, 2020
2 min

JINGLE JANGLE: A colorful and joyous new holiday classic

Right around this time of year, folks start daydreaming about their favorite holiday movies, even posting mini-quizzes on social media to...

3 views0 comments

changsmith2

Dec 24, 2020
2 min

OVER THE MOON: Keen Keane's first feature

I began following Glen Keane in the 1990s, when my family enjoyed his children’s books involving the wayward but likable Adam Raccoon. I...

8 views0 comments

changsmith2

Dec 24, 2020
2 min

LET 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;...

14 views0 comments

changsmith2

Nov 6, 2020
2 min

ABE: 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” --...

8 views0 comments

changsmith2

Nov 6, 2020
2 min

HONEST 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...

4 views0 comments

changsmith2

Nov 6, 2020
2 min

THE 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...

4 views0 comments

changsmith2

Nov 6, 2020
2 min

THE 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...

8 views0 comments

changsmith2

Nov 6, 2020
2 min

THE 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...

3 views0 comments

changsmith2

Nov 6, 2020
3 min

TENET: Fasten your seatbelt

* * * (out of four) After seeing “Tenet,” I suspect maybe writer-director Christopher Nolan was irritated that so many viewers guessed...

9 views0 comments

changsmith2

Nov 6, 2020
2 min

Crowe 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....

8 views0 comments

changsmith2

Nov 6, 2020
2 min

MADE 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...

2 views0 comments

changsmith2

Nov 6, 2020
2 min

THE 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...

2 views0 comments

changsmith2

Aug 25, 2020
4 min

10 FILMS PROMOTING RACIAL HARMONY

Lycoming Critic’s Corner, June 2020 (for ON THE PULSE website) One reason Lycoming Critic’s Corner loves movies is their power to heal:...

5 views0 comments

changsmith2

Aug 25, 2020
2 min

A 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...

8 views0 comments

changsmith2

Aug 25, 2020
2 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:...

5 views0 comments

changsmith2

Aug 25, 2020
2 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...

4 views0 comments

changsmith2

Aug 25, 2020
2 min

YESTERDAY: 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...

3 views0 comments

changsmith2

Aug 25, 2020
2 min

LOST 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...

5 views0 comments

changsmith2

Aug 25, 2020
3 min

DA 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...

3 views0 comments