Ricky Miller, Entertainment Editor
| August 4, 2023
The death of Paul Reubens, aka Pee-wee Herman, shocked many in the entertainment world when it was announced July 31. According to various published reports, Reubens waged a private battle with cancer for years.
Pee-wee Herman made me laugh. Everything about Reuben’s iconic child-like character made me smile. Tim Burton’s celebrated movie, “Pee-wee’s Big Adventure,” made me chuckle and laugh like a little kid. Pee-wee embarked on a wild U.S. adventure to recover his beloved stolen bicycle in that one, even stopping in San Antonio to check out a clue that it was hidden in the Alamo.
Ricky Miller, Entertainment Editor
| July 31, 2023
I liked the comic-fantasy “Barbie” and I had fun. But to me it’s just forgettable fodder. Parents should be warned, it’s a stringent PG-13. There are double entendres. I’d recommend it for kids 13 and older, as the rating states.
Margot Robbie had fun in the role of Stereotypical Barbie. It’s a change of pace for her and far removed from Robbie’s gutter-mouth performances as Harley Quinn in both versions of “The Suicide Squad” in 2016 and 2021.
Ricky Miller, Entertainment Editor
| July 25, 2023
“Oppenheimer” is my event movie of the summer. I couldn’t care less about superhero shenanigans in the fictional world. Part of the reason it’s my event movie is that it’s directed and co-written by Christopher Nolan, a five-time Oscar nominee known for “Tenet,” “Dunkirk” and three recent Batman adventures.
Ricky Miller, Entertainment Editor
| July 18, 2023
It’s amazing that Tom Cruise at 61 can still run around acting like he has no cares in the world like a 30-year-old man. On top of that he insists on doing the majority of his own stunt work. It’s ironic that in “Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One” we see Kittridge, played by Henry Czerny, return as one of Ethan Hunt’s (Cruise) adversaries.
Ricky Miller, Entertainment Editor
| July 11, 2023
Veteran actor, director and producer Alan Arkin died June 29 at 89 after a long, varied career. He is probably best known for his Oscar-winning role in the comic-drama “Little Miss Sunshine” in 2006. Arkin portrayed Edwin Hoover, the title character’s profanity-prone grandfather.
Ricky Miller, Entertainment Editor
| June 23, 2023
“Transformers: Rise of the Beasts” is a very enjoyable and engaging movie sans filmmaker Michael Bay, who dropped out of the series after “Transformers: The Last Knight” in 2017 to direct people movies like “Ambulance” with Jake Gyllenhaal of 2022.
Steven Caple Jr. (“Creed II,” “Transformers: Earthspark” on TV) slips into the director’s chair for the new “Transformers” chapter. This sci-fi action-adventure takes place in the 1990s. This one involves a likable kid named Noah played by Anthony Ramos (“In the Heights,” “Hamilton”), who’s trying to make it in New York City.
Ricky Miller, Entertainment Editor
| June 19, 2023
With certain movies, I’ve become a big dork. I relish the fact that the technology has come along in a certain way so that filmmakers elicit a response of pure joy for me.
I love the color palette of the animated action-adventure “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” because what they did this time around actually duplicates the efforts of the Oscar-winning “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” of 2018.
Ricky Miller, Entertainment Editor
| June 12, 2023
I think I’ve said this before, but when entering into “The Fast and the Furious” universe, don’t expect any “Shakespeare” or grandiose soliloquies. Besides Vin Diesel’s mumblings and grumblings, the real scene chewing comes from Jason Momoa’s character Dante. He’s just in this for a paycheck. He’s just showy the whole movie.
#8 ‘Indiana Jones
and the Dial of Destiny’ (June 30)
This adventure must overcome the absence of franchise helmer Steven Spielberg, instead featuring James Mangold as director. With Harrison Ford, of course, Phoebe Waller-Bridge and John Rhys Davies.
“Polite Society” -- This Indian comedy finds a girl dreaming big of becoming a stuntwoman while her older sister wants to get married to a man with ulterior motives. Very enjoyable tale is good family fun. B+
“Renfield” -- Oscar-winner Nicolas Cage hams it up as Count Dracula in this action- comedy about his assistant Renfield, played by Nicholas Hoult. Renfield puts up with the count’s hijinks and the ridiculous day-to-day life as a vampire. B-
