By: Bob Garver Poster credit: IMDB Previously, in “Wicked” Aspiring witches, green-skinned outcast Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo) and pink-and-popular Glinda (Ariana Grande), started off as enemies at school, but then became friends. They decided to go their separate ways after discovering a plan by the nefarious Wizard (Jeff Goldblum) to blame and punish animals for problems in the Land of Oz. The Wizard and henchwoman Madame Morrible (Michelle Yeoh) tried to have Elphaba captured

By Bob Garver Poster credit IMDB It was all the way back in 2013 that audiences were first introduced to the Four Horsemen of Magic – J. Daniel Atlas (Jesse Eisenberg), Merritt McKinney (Woody Harrelson), Jack Wilder (Dave Franco), and Henley Reeves (Isla Fisher). The quartet blurred the line between “magic tricks” and “heists,” in that they would make the money and valuables of rich evildoers disappear and then reappear in the hands of their audiences. The film spawned a 201

By Bob Garver Poster Credit: IMDB “Predator” and I got off on the wrong foot. I’m not talking about the new movie, but rather the 1987 original, and by extension the whole franchise. I rented the film hoping to enjoy some action-movie interaction between two future governors: Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jesse Ventura. Unfortunately, there was little to no interaction between the two, and Ventura’s character got picked off by the Predator earlier than I would have liked. I spent

By Bob Garver Poster credit IMDB How is it that Halloween of 2025 couldn’t give us a better horror movie than “Black Phone 2”? It’s not that I’m shocked that a Halloween horror movie is a disappointment. I’m just shocked that we got such a disappointing movie this year. 2025 has been such a banner year for horror thus far. “Sinners,” “Weapons,” “Final Destination: Bloodlines,” and “The Conjuring: Last Rites” were all blockbusters. There’s serious Oscar talk around those first

By Bob Garver Poster credit IMDB The legacy of the “Tron” franchise is complicated. On a consistently positive note, the series has always been a feast for the eyes and ears, with pleasing, if not groundbreaking special effects and musical scores that heart-pumpingly convey that technological developments are happening every minute. But the films have never quite stuck the landing critically or commercially. The 1982 original is a “cult” movie that defenders see as ahead of t

By Bob Garver Poster credit IMDB A popular criticism I’ve heard about “The Smashing Machine” is that it tries too hard to subvert...

By Bob Garver Poster credit IMDB             Writer/director Paul Thomas Anderson is known as a top-tier talent without top-tier...

By Bob Garver Poster credit IMDB Jokes linking football and religion, especially Christianity, are common. “One gets Americans to sit...

By: Bob Garver Poster credit IMDB NOTE:  Many theaters have this Japanese animated film available in both “Subbed” and “Dubbed” versions....

By: Bob Garver Poster credit IMDB             A few days before I saw “The Conjuring: Last Rites,” a friend of mine asked me about my...

By: Bob Garver Poster Credit IMDB “Caught Stealing” is one of those twisty crime thrillers where it seems like the filmmakers cast as...

By: Bob Garver Poster credit IMDB This past weekend’s biggest big-screen hit didn’t go straight to the big screen. Animated actioner...

By Bob Garver Poster credit IMDB            I remember being a big fan of the 1976 “Freaky Friday” with Jodie Foster and Barbara Harris....

By: Bob Garver   Poster credit IMDB            In a weekend that I could have sworn would be dominated by family-friendly franchise fare...

By: Bob Garver Poster credit IMDB I have fond memories of “The Bad Guys” from 2022. The opening scene was an extended “Pulp Fiction”...

By: Bob Garver Poster credit IMDB The “First Steps” part of the title of the new “Fantastic Four” movie is misleading. We don’t see the...

By: Bob Garver   Poster credit IMDB             I’ve never seen 1997’s “I Know What You Did Last Summer” all the way through. 11-year-old...

By: Bob Garver   Poster credit IMDB        With Zack Snyder’s version of the DC Universe having officially fizzled out, Warner Bros. is...

By: Bob Garver Poster credit IMDB After three “Jurassic Park” movies and three “Jurassic World” movies, it seems the time has come to...

By: Bob Garver   Poster credit IMDB        “F1: The Movie” takes viewers inside the exciting world of Formula One auto-racing. The...