Roald Dahl never shied away from the darker aspects of life, even in his many books for children. From “The Witches” and “The BFG” to “George’s Marvellous Medicine,” truly terrible things happen to the young protagonists of his stories; his books provide a very real sense of danger that most entertainment for children seems to […]
Adam Lubitow
Film critic for CITY Newspaper, writer, iced coffee addict, and dinosaur enthusiast.
Posted inMovies
Film preview: The 58th Rochester International Film Festival
The Rochester International Film Festival, now in its 58th year, continues its mission to deliver the best in short films from around the globe. The festival — which has become widely known by its nickname “Movies on a Shoestring,” after the 8mm film stock that was used by most filmmakers in the early days of […]
Posted inMovies
Film review: “Boy & the World”
When it comes the Oscars, the clichรฉ has always been that “it’s an honor just to be nominated.” And while the actual nominees are free to disagree, there are many ways in which the bromide holds true — particularly for the independent films that break through to Hollywood’s biggest night. And by far the biggest […]
Posted inMovies
Film review: “Eye in the Sky”
The War on Terror is given a provocative and suspense-filled exploration in the political thriller “Eye in the Sky,” from South African director Gavin Hood (“X-Men Origins: Wolverine,” “Rendition”). Helen Mirren stars as Colonel Katherine Powell, a British officer overseeing a joint military operation between Britain and America targeting a terrorist cell in Kenya. The […]
Posted inMovies
Film review: “I Saw the Light”
The music biopic is a genre filled with cliches. “I Saw the Light” does nothing to avoid them.
Posted inMovies
Film review: “Hello, My Name is Doris”
Built from a 2011 “Funny or Die” short by Laura Terruso about a lonely older woman smitten with a hot young male intern at her office, “Hello, My Name Is Doris” keeps the basic concept but adds some crucial depth, investing the lead character with enough shading that we’re allowed to sympathize with her instead […]
Posted inMovies
Film review: “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice”
I can’t help feeling as though I should shake Zack Snyder’s hand. For a man with little to no apparent interest in Batman or Superman as characters, it’s impressive that he’s somehow managed to convince the suits at Warner Bros. that he’s the right guy to be in charge of establishing the cinematic universe for […]
Posted inMovies
Film review: “My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2”
A sleeper hit in 2002, the original “My Big Fat Greek Wedding” still holds the title of highest grossing romantic comedy of all time. That film earned writer and star Nia Vardalos an Oscar nomination for Best Original Screenplay, and it even spawned a short-lived television series. Considering the success the film achieved, it’s shocking […]
Posted inMovies
Film review: “10 Cloverfield Lane”
For a movie whose very existence was a secret until two months ago, “10 Cloverfield Lane” has a lot of expectations to live up to. Before a trailer for the quasi sequel to the 2008 found-footage monster flick, “Cloverfield,” popped up in January — seemingly out of nowhere — no one had a clue the […]
Posted inMovies
Horror writer-director talks gore, slapstick
City talked with David Bruckner, one of the writer-directors of “Southbound,” a new indie horror anthology.
Posted inArts & Entertainment
THEATER | “The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes”
An afternoon of entertaining theater is elementary, my dear Watson, as literature’s most famous detective makes the leap to the stage in Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s “The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes,” a new production from the national touring company of New York City’s Aquila Theatre. Mixing things up a bit, the play transforms the master […]
