Category: Film Reviews

Film Review: ‘Spencer’: Lady Diana, Great Britain’s Candle in the Wind

November 5, 2021 | R | 1h 51min Here’s “Spencer” in a nutshell: It’s a tour de force portrayal of a few days in the sad later life of Diana Frances Spencer, later known as Princess Diana of Wales (born July 1, 1961, in Sandringham, Norfolk, England—died August 31, 1997, in Paris, France) prior to her…


Popcorn and Inspiration: ‘Crooked Arrows’: Lacrosse: The Healing Medicine Game

The story of a Native American lacrosse team who overcomes the odds to try to win a prep school league tournament.


Popcorn and Inspiration: ‘Fly Away Home’: The Special Bond Between Fathers and Daughters

PG | 1h 47min | Adventure, Drama, Family | 1996 The holiday season is fast approaching, and soon it will be time for some good-natured, family-friendly films to enjoy. After seeing director Carroll Ballard’s 1996 film “Fly Away Home,” I can confidently recommend this as one of the most heartwarming films to share with your…


Film Review: ‘The Electrical Life of Louis Wain’: Cumberbatch Stars as the Eccentric Illustrator

PG-13 | 1h 51min | Drama, Biography | 29 October 2021 (USA) Over the course of his impressive, not-quite two decade career, Benedict Cumberbatch has played a slew of non-fictional historical characters. There was William Pitt (“Amazing Grace”), William Carey (“The Other Boleyn Girl”), Joseph Hooker (“Creation”), William Prince Ford (“12 Years a Slave”), Julian Assange (“The Fifth Estate”), Alan Turing…


EpochTV Film Review: ‘Journey to Hell’

I’ve been binging on a multitude of faith-based films by director Timothy A. Chey recently, including “20 Minutes,” “Slamma Jamma,” and the oh-so-timely “Interview with the Antichrist.” But I must say, after watching one of his most recent productions, “Journey to Hell,” this may be one of the most impactful. It’s based on the best-selling…


Film review: ‘Passing’: First-Time Director Rebecca Hall Delivers a Moody Masterpiece

PG-13 | 1h 38min | Drama, Mystery | 27 October 2021 (USA) For her feature filmmaking debut, English actress Rebecca Hall (“Vicky Cristina Barcelona,” “The Gift,” “Christine,” “The Night House”) chose to adapt “Passing,” the second and final novel by Nella Larsen, published in 1929. A mostly-overlooked tragedy, it is vast in symbolism with the same concise, poetic brevity of Hemingway and…


EpochTV Film Review: ‘Suing the Devil’

“The world is a lost place.” So says has-been salesman—turned aspiring attorney, Luke O’Brien (played by Bart Bronson). He’s waxing melancholic about the state of affairs surrounding the modern world of 2011 (if he thought that was bad, glad he didn’t see 2020 or 2021!). Everywhere he turns, things seem to be going down the…


Film Review: ‘Cop Shop’: Three Hitmen Walk Into a Police Station …

September 17, 2021 | R | 1h 47min What you get in “Copshop” is a gallows-humor-packed, abrasive, crime-thriller from director Joe Carnahan, a filmmaker who specializes in exploring America’s criminal underbelly in similar fashion to Guy Ritchie, who portrays British versions of the same milieu. And as opposed to Carnahan’s 2002 ultra-gritty and very serious…


EpochTV Film Review: ‘David and Goliath’

PG | 1 hour 32 minutes | Action, Adventure, Drama | 2015 I’ve watched many a Biblical film over the years—some good, but many bad. I must say that most of the more recent big-budget, so-called Biblical epics, such as “Exodus: Gods and Kings,” and “Noah,” both 2014 offerings, have been utterly disappointing. Although these…


Popcorn and Inspiration: ‘The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel’: Elderly Brits Gain New Lease on Life in India, Hilariously

We’ve probably all heard words to the effect that if you retire without a good hobby, then life loses meaning pretty quickly and you’ll die soon.