The problem is that a guy who has no concerns and never worries about everything is, by definition, a limp character, incapable of driving a story with any urgency. Even Roger Moore’s James Bond ...

In one of many funny scenes in Alison Bechdel’s new comic novel “Spent,” the writer-cartoonist has drawn herself — or, more precisely, a loosely fictionalized protagonist named Alison — pulling Karl ...

Things get going when a killer in a clown suit slays two people in a pre-credits sequence, set in 1991. There’s no reason for that unfortunate incident to be included in the film, except that slasher ...

Particularly grating is when the two — beautiful — middle-aged actors, Fey and Kerri Kenney (“Reno 911!”) crack fatphobic jokes, especially at their own expense. It’s not funny, and it’s not ...

Hi, Mick: Have you ever had high expectations and anticipation for a film, either as a critic or a fan, and upon watching it felt utter disappointment? Steve Bage, Sausalito Hi, Steve: The best recent ...

As it charts a terminally ill woman’s (Michelle Williams) seriocomic sexual experimentation with a series of men, “Dying for Sex” causes enough secondhand embarrassment to want to smash your remote’s ...

In advance of its March 18 publication date, the book is garnering good press. Kirkus Reviews praised its “Compelling arguments against ideologues bent on dismantling the government.” Bell sees the ...

Nicole Graev Lipson’s sharp, sparkling collection “Mothers and Other Fictional Characters: A Memoir in Essays” triumphs at its mission: mapping out Lipson’s life as a young mother who also fiercely ...

The further “Back to the Future: The Musical” gets from the film, the more it succeeds. When Doc explains his time machine to Marty, a line of girls dances in, with little explosion designs on their ...

With the fall of Saigon’s 50th anniversary looming in April, the new Apple TV+ docuseries “Vietnam: The War That Changed America” tries to do something a little different from other shows about our ...

Aerosmith has only been retired from performing since August, but the rock band is already plotting its special return. The “Walk This Way” performers, who initially settled on retirement due to ...

Paul Schrader is clearly going through some things. The director is nobly caring for his wife, actress Mary Beth Hurt, during her long journey through Alzheimer’s; dealing with health issues of his ...