Movie of the Week: ‘The Treasure of the Sierra Madre’

“The Treasure of the Sierra Madre” (1948) – “Hey, Buddy.  Can you stake a fellow American to a meal?”  – Fred C. Dobbs (Humphrey Bogart) Fred is down on his luck.  He’s broke, unemployed, and he lives on the streets of Tampico, Tamaulipas, located on Mexico’s east coast. However – out of the clear blue sky – a wealthy entrepreneur (Barton MacLane) gives Fred a two-week job!   Unfortunately, his temporary employment doesn’t work out like Fred envisioned, so he turns to Plan B:  taking an old gold-miner’s (Walter Huston) advice.…

‘The Tender Bar’ serves some lovely performances but only the Cliff Notes of a worthy story

“The Tender Bar” (2021) – “Sometimes you wanna go where everybody knows your name, and they’re always glad you came.” – “Cheers” Theme Song, “Where Everybody Knows Your Name” by Gary Portnoy and Judy Hart-Angelo For J.R. (Daniel Ranieri, Tye Sheridan), that place is The Dickens Bar, his Uncle Charlie’s (Ben Affleck) modest but busy and beloved pub.  When we first meet J.R., he’s in elementary school, but Charlie doesn’t serve him alcohol at such a young age.  Instead, J.R. receives plenty of root beers and, more importantly, advice.  His…

‘Licorice Pizza’: Hoffman and Haim are a winning combination in this weird, winding journey

“Licorice Pizza” (2021) – “I’m not gonna forget you.” – Gary (Cooper Hoffman) You never forget your first crush, right? Then again, you may, but not your first relationship.  Gary isn’t in a relationship with Alana (Alana Haim), but he wants to be.  He tells his little brother that he’ll marry her someday.  Unfortunately, Gary – from Sherman Oaks, Calif. – has a problem about the size of the Rose Bowl and L.A. Coliseum combined.  He’s 15, and Alana – residing in nearby Encino, which is just 6.4 miles away…