Asher Luberto, Author at The Playlist

‘Twist’: Michael Caine, Lena Headey & Parkour Action Cannot Breathe Life Into An Erratic Riff On The ‘Oliver Twist’ Tale [Review]

August 4, 2021 4:01 pm

Charles Dickens' 1837 novel "Oliver Twist" is classic material: a boy escapes his workhouse to join a gang of pickpockets on the steamy, mysterious streets of Mudfog. Since its release, the novel has been stag...

‘Blood Red Sky’: Netflix’s Vampires On A Plane Premise Is Good, The Movie Sucks [Review]

Asher Luberto

July 24, 2021 9:00 am

News, Reviews

The studio pitch and mile-high concept of "Blood Red Sky"— "it's 'Snakes on a Plane' with vampires, and a terrorist hijacking!"—is intriguing, potentially twistedly funny, and surely enough for Netflix to gamb...

‘Meander’ Is A Taut, Claustrophobic Thriller That Explores A Labyrinth Of Emotions [Review]

Asher Luberto

July 21, 2021 6:52 am

News

Of the claustrophobic thrillers inspired by the 1998 cult classic, "Cube," "Meander" might just be the greatest and most realistic. That realism is part of what makes this movie work because, as directed by Ma...

‘The Misfits’: Reny Harlin’s Return To The Action Genre Is A Tired, Dull Misfire [Review]

Asher Luberto

June 29, 2021 6:05 am

News, Reviews

If you're in the mood for an action flick without imagination, then "The Misfits” is the film for you. Recycling genre tropes, characters, and camerawork, "The Misfits" feels like you're watching a montage of ...

‘Fatherhood’: Kevin Hart’s Transition From Comedy To Drama Could Use A Rethink [Review]

Asher Luberto

June 18, 2021 1:23 pm

News, Reviews

Kevin Hart's transition from comedian to a dramatic actor just isn't working. The comedian's second turn in a more serious role, director Paul Weitz's "Fatherhood" for Netflix— 2019's "The Upside" was his firs...

‘Trollhunters: Rise Of The Titans’ Trailer: The ‘Tales Of Arcadia’ Saga Comes To An End On July 21

Asher Luberto

June 15, 2021 9:18 am

News, Trailers

Since its inception five years ago, Guillermo del Toro's fantasy series "Tales Of Arcadia" has grown into a franchise behemoth for Dreamworks Animation. Its three different shows on Netflix have earned countle...

‘Dream Horse’ Is A Light, Sweet Film With Yet Another Solid Toni Collette Performance [Review]

Asher Luberto

May 28, 2021 11:47 am

News, Reviews

"Dream Horse" is exactly what you expect from a movie called "Dream Horse." It's light, sweetly frisky, and warmly inspiring, with a lead performance from Toni Colette keeping things on track. Colette plays...

‘Cliff Walkers’: Zhang Yimou’s Riff On James Bond Is Perhaps His Most Restrained Film Yet [Review]

Asher Luberto

May 21, 2021 2:41 pm

News, Reviews

With its spies, secrets, and super-secret code names, Zhang Yimou's "Cliff Walkers" is seemingly the Chinese director's version of James Bond. But that's where the comparisons end. While the Bond films are sex...

‘Stowaway’ Is A Surprisingly Tense Moral Thriller In Space [Review]

Asher Luberto

April 27, 2021 3:15 pm

News, Reviews

Space has always served as a vast, grand, and mysterious canvas for directors to paint and project their metaphorical journeys on. Much like the desert in Westerns, the journey through space is a deeply intima...

‘Jakob’s Wife’: Travis Stevens’ Feminist Vampire Tale Is A B-Movie Done Right [Review]

Asher Luberto

April 23, 2021 1:36 pm

News, Reviews

Travis Stevens' "Jakob's Wife" is a film about a universal fear and the horror of becoming a housewife. Built on a clever premise, the film is executed seamlessly. It's a great example of a B-movie done right:...

‘We Broke Up’ Is Delicious, Satisfying And A Tad Overstuffed Wedding Movie [Review]

Asher Luberto

April 17, 2021 11:30 am

News, Reviews

Wedding movies are a lot like wedding cakes: usually delicious, satisfying and a tad overstuffed. So it's nice to get a slice of that savory formula in "We Broke Up," writer/director Jeff Rosenberg's entry to ...

‘Every Breath You Take’: Thriller Starring Casey Affleck & Michelle Monaghan Is No ‘Gone Baby Gone’ Reunion [Review]

Asher Luberto

April 10, 2021 11:15 am

News, Reviews

Admittedly, it's strange to start a review with a list of complaints, but the new thriller "Every Breath You Take," directed by Vaughn Stein, written by David Murray, and starring Casey Affleck, just begs for ...

‘Happily’: A Refreshing And Subversive Marital Horror-Comedy [Review]

Asher Luberto

April 2, 2021 2:36 pm

News, Reviews

The horror-comedy can be tricky to pull off. But when it's done right, it can deliver shocking results. In the haunted-house-sex-farce "Happily," a whole lot of shocks are crammed into one neat package, arrivi...

The Courier Benedict Cumberbatch Rachel Brosnahan

‘The Courier’: Benedict Cumberbatch Is Superb As An Everyman Spy In This Cold War Tale [Review]

Asher Luberto

March 30, 2021 1:46 pm

News, Reviews

The 1963 Wynne trial, in which Greville Wynne was indicted for spying on Soviet Russia, is an event absolutely ripe for cinematic adaptation. Held in a bunker in Moscow, the accused Wynne spent two years behin...

‘Come True’: Wes Craven & David Cronenberg Sensibilities Merge In A Nightmare About Sleep Paralysis [Review]

Asher Luberto

March 14, 2021 2:52 pm

News, Reviews

Anthony Scott Burns--filmmaker, musician, and half the team behind "Our House"--branches into science fiction with the eerily hypnotic "Come True," starring Julia Sarah Stone. Take some Wes Craven, fold in Dav...

Author Asher Luberto