The year’s best feel-good film
Five stars. Unrated, and suitable for all agesGiven how it was sabotaged by malevolent forces this past summer — over which its roughly 496,000 hard-working employees had no control —...
Derrick Bang on Film: Jingle Jangle — A Christmas Journey: Sparkling all the way
This is an impressive slice of holiday razzle-dazzle. The tag line for writer/director David E. Talbert’s opulent fantasy promises that viewers will “discover a world of wishes and wonder,” and that’s...
Derrick Bang on Film: The Croods — A New Age: Feels somewhat primitive
The Croods: A New Age — now playing in whatever theaters are open, and available via video-on-demand closer to Christmas — is akin to its 2013 ancestor … only much more...
Derrick Bang on Film: The Sleepover: Far from a snooze
Three stars. Rated TV-PG, for fantasy perilThis is a silly little film. It’s also reasonably well plotted, crisply paced, family-friendly and — given the proper frame of mind — a lot...
Derrick Bang on Film: Feel the Beat: Dance 7, Script 3
Feel the Beat (2020) • View trailer Three stars. Rated TV-G, and suitable for all agesBy Derrick Bang • Originally published in The Davis Enterprise, 7.17.20 For the most part, this is a Hallmark TV movie with...
Derrick Bang on Film: Scoob: A doggone hoot
Scoob (2020) • View trailer 3.5 stars. Rated PG, for mild suggestive humor and fantasy peril By Derrick Bang • Originally published in The Davis Enterprise, 7.10.20 Scooby-Doo, the nervous Great Dane with a nose for supernatural-style...
Derrick Bang on Film: Spelling the Dream: True word power
Spelling the Dream (2020) • View trailer Four stars. Rated G, and suitable for all agesBy Derrick Bang • Originally published in The Davis Enterprise, 7.3.20 Spellbound was one of the hits of 2002’s film season: an engaging...
Derrick Bang on Film: Stargirl: Shines bright
Stargirl (2020) • View trailer Four stars. Rated PG, for no particular reasonBy Derrick Bang • Originally published in The Davis Enterprise, 3.27.20 One can’t help being amazed by the synchronicity between Grace VanderWaal and Jerry Spinelli’s...
Derrick Bang on Film: The Call of the Wild: Bad dog!
The Call of the Wild (2020) • View trailer Two stars. PG, for dramatic intensityBy Derrick Bang • Originally published in The Davis Enterprise, 2.21.20 This certainly isn’t Jack London’s Call of the Wild. To a certain degree,...
Derrick Bang on Film: Dolittle: Animal crackers
Dolittle (2020) • View trailer Three stars. Rated PG, for no particular reason By Derrick Bang • Originally published in The Davis Enterprise, 1.17.20 Hollywood had a distressing habit, in the 1960s and early ’70s, of turning...