COMMENTARY ON NEWS, POLITICS, SPORTS, RELIGION, TV AND MOVIES

Tom Tangney

News of the World, Tom Hanks...
Tom Tangney

‘News of the World’ with Tom Hanks is satisfying comfort food in anxious times

For a Western, "News of the World" proves that it can often be better to be satisfying than exhilarating. That makes for quality comfort food.
3 years ago
tenet...
Tom Tangney

Risking COVID and sitting through ‘Free Willy’ to see ‘Tenet’ at a drive-in

KIRO Radio's Tom Tangney goes to see a movie for the first time in six months, catching "Tenet" and "Bill and Ted Face the Music" at Blue Fox Drive-In Theatre in Oak Harbor, Whidbey Island.
4 years ago
gentlemen...
Tom Tangney

With the ‘The Gentlemen’ Guy Ritchie returns to his roots

Guy Ritchie may not have improved on his first two movies, but "The Gentlemen" caps off a nice trilogy of black-humor gangster films.
4 years ago
Les Miserables, Amazon...
Tom Tangney

‘Les Miserables’ creates a real sense of life on the ground in Montfermeil

"Les Miserables" may not have cribbed its story from Victor Hugo but it does incorporate a crucial few lines from his novel: "There are no such things as bad plants or bad men. There are only bad cultivators."
4 years ago
1917...
Tom Tangney

You’ll need to see ‘1917’ twice to appreciate both the camerawork and story

I don't know if it's fair to say you need to see 1917 twice to appreciate it, but it's better than saying the opposite.
4 years ago
uncut gems, 2019 films...
Tom Tangney

Tom Tangney’s 10 best films of 2019

Tom Tangney of the Tom and Curley show looks at the best films of 2019.
4 years ago
Star Wars...
Tom Tangney

‘Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker’ ends not with a bang, but a ho-hum

Unlike the two-film finale of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which packed an emotional wallop amidst all the mayhem, Star Wars ends not with a bang but a ho-hum.
4 years ago
forgotten christmas movies...
Tom Tangney

Tom Tangney’s 7 favorite lesser-known Christmas movies

KIRO Radio's Tom Tangney takes a look at some of the forgotten Christmas movies over the years. An odd selection, to say the least.
4 years ago
Richard Jewell...
Tom Tangney

‘Richard Jewell’ a fascinating look at societal forces on lone individuals

"Richard Jewell" is a fascinating look at the impact large societal forces inevitably have on lone individuals who find themselves at the center of a storm through no fault of their own.
4 years ago
Aeronauts...
Tom Tangney

Plot of ‘Aeronauts’ and poetic license full of hot air

To create a fake proto-feminist heroine and encourage us to revel in her exploits in a movie about a specific event in history seems like an unnecessary cheat. The balloon in 'Aeronauts' is not the only thing full of hot air.
4 years ago
knives out...
Tom Tangney

Comic murder mystery ‘Knives Out’ is not a complete waste of time

The new comic murder mystery "Knives Out" is Mildly Amusing. Or, Diverting Enough, I Suppose. Or, Not a Complete Waste of Time. Tom Tangney reviews.
4 years ago
al pacino...
Tom Tangney

Tom Tangney speaks with Al Pacino about ‘The Irishman’

KIRO Radio's Tom Tangney interviewed Al Pacino upon the release of "The Irishman."
4 years ago
mr rogers...
Tom Tangney

‘Frozen 2’ and ‘A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood’ offer great holiday fare

If they generate good cheer and positive feelings toward your fellow man and woman, that qualifies for great holiday fare. Case in point are the releases of "Frozen 2" and "A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood."
4 years ago
the irishman...
Tom Tangney

‘The Irishman’ succeeds as a reflective, almost philosophical mob movie

The movie is based on the life story of a World War Two army vet named Frank Sheeran who for decades worked as a hitman for the Bufalino crime family.
4 years ago
midway...
Tom Tangney

‘Midway’ has thrilling war scenes, but is a waste of good history

The new World War II movie Midway is midway between being a terrible movie and a so-so movie, but it’s nowhere near being a good movie. That’s a shame, because the history is plenty dramatic and the material would be quite fresh to most young moviegoers. Its ten lead characters are all based on real, […]
4 years ago
jojo rabbit...
Tom Tangney

‘Jojo Rabbit’ is a biting satire of the inanity at the heart of Nazism

"Jojo Rabbit" is a biting satire of the inanity at the heart of Nazism, an inanity embodied in a ten-year-old German boy at the height of World War Two.
4 years ago
lighthouse...
Tom Tangney

‘The Lighthouse’ is a great but difficult piece of literature that screams ‘CINEMA!’

As Martin Scorsese and Marvel argue over what is and is not "cinema," writer/director Robert Eggers comes along with "The Lighthouse," a movie that simply screams "CINEMA!"
4 years ago
Maleficent...
Tom Tangney

‘Maleficent: Mistress of Evil’ is a black humor parody of a wedding gone wrong

"Maleficent: Mistress of Evil" extends the origin story set forth in the 2014 live-action smash hit "Maleficent."
5 years ago
gemini man...
Tom Tangney

‘Gemini Man’ wastes a promising premise with a script as flat as the acting

Despite the fact it's directed by two-time Oscar winner Ang Lee and stars mega-star Will Smith, "Gemini Man" is a sub-par thriller that wastes a promising premise.
5 years ago
joker...
Tom Tangney

‘Joker’ is too much, and still one of the best films of the year

The new movie "Joker" is too much. It's showy, excessive, overwrought and heavy-handed. But it's also very good, in fact, one of the best films of the year.
5 years ago
judy...
Tom Tangney

Renee Zellwegger gives an Oscar-worthy performance in ‘Judy’

Renee Zellwegger takes on the enormous task of portraying this multi-talented but tormented icon in the new movie, "Judy."
5 years ago
downton abbey...
Tom Tangney

‘Downton Abbey’ is flawed, but fans of the show won’t mind

The much-anticipated cinematic follow-up to the acclaimed Downton Abbey TV series will satisfy fans, though everyone will notice a few things.
5 years ago
ad astra...
Tom Tangney

‘Ad Astra’ feels like a sci-fi version of ‘Apocalypse Now’

Tom Tangney reviews "Ad Astra," an ambitious film that stars Brad Pitt as an astronaut on a deep-space journey in what's proclaimed the "Near Future."
5 years ago
the goldfinch...
Tom Tangney

‘The Goldfinch’ skims the surface of intriguing people and ideas

"The Goldfinch" is a coming-of-age story, but it's specifically a coming-of-age story about overcoming trauma.
5 years ago