Josh Reviews The Long Walk
The Long Walk adapts the novel by Stephen King (written under the pseudonym Richard Bachman in 1979). Set in a world in which the United States has suffered economic collapse and is ruled by a fascistic military government, the film depicts the annual televised competition called Th
Josh Reviews Predator: Killer of Killers
2022’s Prey was an absolute delight — an out of nowhere kick-ass Predator sequel!! Prey was directed and co-written (with Patrick Aison) by Dan Trachtenberg, who made a number of bold choices, such as setting the film in 1719 and centering the story on a young Comanche w
Josh Reviews Spinal Tap II: The End Continues
The original 1984 This is Spinal Tap has long been one of my favorite films. I just re-watched it again last week, for the umpteenth time, and I think it still holds up remarkably well as a wonderfully funny and silly piece of filmmaking. A few of the jokes have aged poorly, but I
Josh Reviews Caught Stealing
Caught Stealing is set in New York City in 1998; Hank (Austin Butler) is living a happy life as a jovial, somewhat unreliable, slightly alcoholic bartender. He’s in an on-the-edge-of-becoming-serious relationship with a paramedic named Yvonne (Zoë Kravitz). But Hank’s
Josh Reviews The Phoenician Scheme
As The Phoenician Scheme opens, we see wealthy industrialist (and possibly also criminal/arms dealer?) Anatole “Zsa-Zsa” Korda (Benicio del Toro) narrowly survive an assassination attempt when his plane is blown up and crashes. This near-death experience prompts Zsa-Zsa
Josh Reviews Mr. Harrigan’s Phone
I recently bought and read If it Bleeds, a collection of four novellas by Stephen King, because I knew I wanted to see the movie The Life of Chuck, and I wanted to read the original story first. (I’m glad I did; I enjoyed both the story and the movie adaptation.) The first s
Josh Reviews The Life of Chuck
When I was in high school, I read a Stephen King story in an English class. I knew who Stephen King was, of course, but I hadn’t read any of his novels. He was very much a horror author in my mind, and that didn’t interest me back then. But then I read this short [&h
Josh Reviews Honey Don’t!
I loved Drive Away Dolls, the 2024 film directed by Ethan Coen and co-written with his wife, Tricia Cooke, so I was thrilled that Mr. Coen and Ms. Cooke were reuniting with star Margaret Qualley for another film so quickly. (Mr. Coen and Ms. Cooke have called Honey Don’t! the
Josh Reviews Billy Joel: And So It Goes
Billy Joel: And So It Goes is a two-part documentary, running about five hours in total, exploring Billy Joel’s life and career. It’s directed and produced by Susan Lacy and Jessica Levin. I loved every minute of it! Those five hours blew by (I watched about four hours
Josh Reviews Fountain of Youth
In Fountain of Youth, we meet estranged siblings Luke (John Krasinski) and Charlotte (Natalie Portman). Luke is a charismatic but somewhat shady thief; when the movie opens, he’s stealing a painting, and pretty soon he’s gotten his sister Charlotte into trouble by steali