Asher Luberto, Author at The Playlist

‘Bliss’: Owen Wilson & Salma Hayek Star In A Strange, Lesser Hybrid Of ‘The Matrix’ & ‘Vanilla Sky’ [Review]

February 5, 2021 2:03 pm

Owen Wilson is at the top of his game in the completely ludicrous sci-fi film "Bliss." Written and directed by Mike Cahill, known for his trippy sci-fi films, (“Another Earth,” ‘I, Origins”), Wilson not only k...

‘The Dig’: Carey Mulligan & Ralph Fiennes Can’t Seem To Excavate Excitement In This Sleepy True Story [Review]

Asher Luberto

January 29, 2021 4:45 pm

News, Reviews

On the eve of World War II, a self-taught archaeologist was hired by a local woman to excavate her land. She thought it might contain Viking remnants. But what was unearthed in the ground was more significant ...

‘Acasa, My Home’ Is A Powerful Exploration Of Bureaucracy And Life In The City [Review]

Asher Luberto

January 16, 2021 1:50 pm

News, Reviews

The Romanian documentary "Acasa, My Home" explores life outside the margins of society. The idea of living off the grid, raising kids, hunting and fishing and swimming and camping might be escapist, but it's s...

‘The Croods: A New Age’: More Of The Same Primitive, Family-Friendly Fun And Not Much Else [Review]

Asher Luberto

November 25, 2020 10:55 am

News, Reviews

DreamWorks' "The Croods," inspired by Roald Dahl's "The Twits," wasn't just a hit. It was a box office mega-hit, a ubiquitous phenomenon thanks to its "Ice Age" meets "The Flintstones" premise. Seven years lat...

Leap of Faith: William Friedkin on the Exorcist

‘Leap of Faith’: A Reverential Look At William Friedkin’s ‘The Exorcist’ [Review]

Asher Luberto

November 22, 2020 3:46 pm

News, Reviews

If you've read William Friedkin's 500-page autobiography, "The Friedkin Connection," or the interviews he has done with The Criterion Collection, you know the veteran filmmaker is a raconteur of the highest or...

‘Let Him Go’: Kevin Costner & Diane Lane Bring The Heart In This Violent Midwestern Thriller [Review]

Asher Luberto

November 5, 2020 10:54 am

News, Reviews

There is a prescient shot that opens "Let Him Go," the frontier drama starring Kevin Costner and Diane Lane. A flat stretch of Montana plain, a blanket of blue-gray sky, as if Heaven itself was just beyond the...

‘Kindred’: Joe Marcantonio Uses Horror & Great Performances To Deliver A Timely Message [Review]

Asher Luberto

November 2, 2020 12:37 pm

News, Reviews

Generating terror on screen isn't always easy in our current age of Trump headlines, but the British thriller "Kindred" succeeds the old fashion way: pulling from those headlines, seducing us into a clean, log...

‘Radium Girls’: Joey King Shines In This Workers’ Rights Tale [Review]

Asher Luberto

October 26, 2020 8:18 am

News, Reviews

It was 1925, but it could have been any number of years before The Great Depression. The U.S. was running on fuel, booze, silent comedies, and loud music, as well as this little thing called radium. From the 1...

‘Over The Moon’: Netflix Misses The Mark With Its Pixar-Esque Animated Adventure [Review]

Asher Luberto

October 23, 2020 11:32 am

News, Reviews

Maybe it's a post-Pixar phenomenon that animated films need to tackle complex themes or ideas, translating it into terms kids can understand. This is the case with "Over the Moon," a film that is part "Trolls ...

‘Honest Thief’: Liam Neeson’s Particular Set Of Skills Are On Display, Yet Again, In This Routine Thriller [Review]

Asher Luberto

October 15, 2020 2:40 pm

News, Reviews

Thrillers are the grimmest genre as far as new releases are concerned, a graveyard where signs of life are few and far between. So it's a good thing we can count on Liam Neeson to periodically save the genre f...

Author Asher Luberto