Month: February 2022

Movie of the Week: ‘Defending Your Life’

Jeff Mitchell

“Defending Your Life” (1991) – Albert Brooks directs, writes, and stars in his surreal, thoughtful comedy, where he plays Daniel Miller, a man defending his life! Unfortunately, Dan’s life is cut short by an auto accident, and he ends up in Judgment City, a type of purgatory that looks like suburban Pasadena.  He’s on trial, although it’s not really called one, where his defender, a prosecutor, and two judges review nine days in Daniel’s time on Earth, which are like snippets from VCR recordings that are made by who knows…

‘Jackass Forever’: The fellas may be getting old, but their act isn’t

Jeff Mitchell

“Jackass Forever” (2022) – “Hi!  I’m Johnny Knoxville, and this is the…” Fill in the blank with your favorite Jackass stunt.  For me, “Fireworks Wake-Up”, “The Beehive Limo”, and “The Field Goal” are three beloved skits that come to mind! With a television series and three feature films under their collective utility belts, Knoxville and his band of merry goofballs with a penchant for personal and public mayhem have delivered countless feats, daredevil tricks, and outrageous pranks that have astounded, mystified, and disgusted audiences since 2000.   The year 2000.  Bill…

‘The Wolf and the Lion’: The animals roar, but the script howls

Jeff Mitchell

“The Wolf and the Lion” (2022) – “Life happens to you while you’re busy making other plans.” Alma (Molly Kunz) certainly knows this message.  She’s a top student at New York City’s St. Mary’s Academy for Music, and has her sights set on playing piano for the Los Angeles Philharmonic.  This scholarly young woman isn’t your standard bicoastal soon-to-be-professional.  She’s a small-town girl from Canada. Her parents passed away, and Alma’s only family connections are her godfather Joe (Graham Greene) and grandfather (Jean Drolet).  Unfortunately, as our movie begins, Alma…