Don’t let Petzold’s ‘Transit’ pass you by

“Transit” – According to Google, the definition of transit is an act of passing through or across a place.  That seems simple enough, but there is nothing straightforward about writer/director Christian Petzold’s (“Barbara” (2012), “Phoenix” (2014)) latest film “Transit”, a delicious and surreal puzzler that begins two moves ahead of the audience, and we need to play catch-up for most of the 101-minute runtime. Georg (Franz Rogowski) lives in Paris, but the city seems to be caught in a newly-formed police state or declaration of martial law.  In fact, some…

‘Captain Marvel’ is a fun, milestone Marvel film that you won’t easily forget

“Captain Marvel” – How proficient is your memory?  Do you need to pause and seriously flip through your synaptic Rolodex, when someone asks, “What did you do last weekend?” Sure, that’s a temporary, problematic moment during a water cooler stop, but vast numbers of souls suffer from far worse recollection problems. Movie studios do not shy away the subject.  Some movies deal with the devastating effects of Alzheimer’s or dementia, and “Lovely, Still” (2008), “Amour” (2012), “Still Alice” (2014), and “Remember” (2015) are some recent, effective entries.  Other films, like…

‘The Wedding Guest’ might serve as a satisfying ‘I do’ or a disappointing ‘I don’t’

“The Wedding Guest” – When approaching a cineplex ticket window, looking up at the selections and times, seeing “The Wedding Guest” starting in 20 minutes, and plunking down 21 dollars for two tickets on a Saturday evening, one has certain expectations for the movie experience. Take any recent film with wedding in the title.  “Wedding Crashers” (2005), “My Best Friend’s Wedding” (1997), “My Big Fat Greek Wedding” (2002), and “The Wedding Plan” (2016) all have  weddings as their central themes, and heck, “Four Weddings and a Funeral” (1994) has –…